THE Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Sports Unit Office has rubbished a statement made by some of the members of the army’s ladies football club regarding the team’s enrolment in the regional Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) Women Champions League.

The statement went viral on various social media platforms and even made headlines in some local news outlets last week.

The Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) had earlier announced that it previously held a fruitful meeting with the management of LDF Ladies FC to map a way forward regarding the team’s enrolment in the upcoming COSAFA Women's Championship on a date yet to be confirmed by COSAFA.
The local football controlling body also showed that the enrolment was a historic move given that the tournament would be the first of its kind in Africa and as such, both LeFA and the LDF had inscribed their football prints on this historic event.

But some members of the army ladies team later shot down LeFA’s announcement, saying the body never met the team’s management.

“The club management never received any intimation through its contact person or any member of the management about the said meeting. We therefore inform all the media fraternity that LDF Ladies management disclaims this press release by LeFA,” the members said in their statement.

But in its responding media release issued on Monday, the LDF Sports Unit Office rubbished the statement made by the team, saying its claims were unfounded and untrue.

The army said the statement that appeared on several social media platforms was not even official as it bore neither a signature of a relevant military officer nor the team's letterhead.

The army sports office therefore retracted and nullified the said statement, adding that any information regarding the team would bear the office or team's letterhead and would be endorsed by the army’s sports office.
The office also said the statement by the team members further claimed that LeFA only met individuals from the team and not officials from the management of the club.