TWO Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) Match Commissioners, have been assigned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officiate in matches involving two South African giants, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates over the weekend.
sports
Feb. 9, 2021
STAFF REPORTER
2 min read
Local match officials allotted CAF assignments
Lesotho Match Commissioner Mohau Sentšo
Mohau Sentšo will be the Match Commissioner when Sundowns host El Hilal of Sudan in the CAF Champions League tie scheduled for Saturday at the Loftus Versveld stadium in Pretoria.
Mpopo Moeti will be in charge of the Confederation Cup clash between Botswana's Jwaneng Galaxy and Pirates set for the National stadium in Gaborone on Sunday.
The assignments come weeks after former FIFA and CAF referee Rethusitsoe Lebaka died after a short illness leaving a huge gap in the refereeing department both locally and internationally.
“It is apparently going to take some time for the Lesotho Referees Association to find a suitable replacement because Mr Lebaka was also the referees’ instructor and he played a crucial role in developing up and coming young match officials,” said LeFA Media Officer Mikia Kalati.
Lesotho has no team currently participating in the CAF Competitions after Bantu who were campaigning in the continental Champions’ League were knocked out in the preliminary stage by the Zambian side Nkana Red Devils through a 1-0 aggregate score in December.
The Zambian league champions, Nkana from Kitwe will now proceed to the next stage of the competition where they will face Petro Atletico of Angola in the first round of the CAF Champions League.
Enjoy our daily newsletter from today
Access exclusive newsletters, along with previews of new media releases.
This was the second time that Bantu failed to go beyond the CAF Champions League preliminary stage. In the 2018/19 season, the Mafeteng-based league champions found themselves in the same situation when they were bundled out of the competition by Eswatini's Mbabane Swallows on away goal rule after losing the first leg 4-2 at home and later winning the return match 3-1 away in Mbabane.
Local national teams have struggled a lot this season due to the COVID -19 pandemic, which has led to sporting activities being suspended since March 2020. That has cost the players tremendously because they always return to the field of play rusty, physically unfit, and mentally unfocused.
Tailored for you
