PRESIDENT of the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA), King’s Counsel Salemane Phafane has retained his position as the association’s boss at the 16th LeFA Annual Congress which was held in Maseru on Saturday.

He garnered a massive 42 votes against competitor Lijane Nthunya, who collected only seven votes.

The landslide victory means Phafane will remain at the helm of the soccer mother body for five more years after running the association for the last four terms.

In his vote of thanks, he promised to work hard together with Nthunya for the betterment of the beautiful game, inviting him to come on board.
He also called on the presidents of the District Football Association (DIFAs) to return to their districts in order to draw proper plans on how to plan the development of local football.

“I am only a servant of football and without your input or mandate, there is nothing that could be achieved in the next term,” he said.

He said the serious challenge hindering the development of football in Lesotho is the lack of facilities, urging DIFA presidents to secure for sites that could be developed into soccer fields.
He highlighted the importance of the DIFAs having their own offices, saying if they could secure their own sites, he would ensure that in the next five years, each one of them builds their own offices.

He underscored the need for accountability in all funds dispersed to the DIFAs, saying the association is being held in high esteem by both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as well as the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) in terms of good administration.
In response to accusations leading up to the congress, that he was unwilling to let the DIFAs be independent, he said there was no way that he could be against such a move.

He said even the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) should also be independent in order to be able to source own sponsorships for the league and clubs alike.
For his part, Nthunya congratulated Phafane on his victory but pleaded with him not to dismiss his election manifesto but to take some of his views into account for the sake of the game.
“I will always be available in the running of football because I love this game,” he said.