LIKUENA’s head coach Thabo Senong has named a 30-man provisional squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

Announcing the side on Friday, the South African-born coach said as the technical team, they are fully aware that the selected players need match fitness.

Senong said they will have to come up with an ideal training technique that will help build the players’ confidence for the upcoming ties.

The criteria they used to select the squad, he said included tactical flexibility of the players and their professionalism, their style of play and the game plan itself.

He further showed that they picked players that can bring the right chemistry to the game while also considering aspects such as strong points on the part their opponents.

He lauded the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) for the support rendered to ensure that the national squad plays the two upcoming matches against Nigeria's Super Eagles and Sierra Leone's Lone Stars well prepared.

"I also applaud the technical team for having worked hard to select the 30 players,” he noted.
For his part, LeFA Media Officer Mikia Kalati said on February 7, the association's National Executive Committee gave the green light for Likuena to resume training in preparations for the two upcoming continental meetings.

The proposal to resume training he showed was presented to the Lesotho Sport and Recreation (LSRC) before it was forwarded to the Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sport and Recreation.
“The sports minister Honorable Likeleli Tampane has shown her undoubted support of the proposal and duly presented it to the relevant authority for approval,” Kalati said.

To highlight her further support, he said the minister even asked LeFA to present to the ministry budget estimates for the two matches and also requested the association to source three quotations in the service areas of the budget in order to start preparations to find the resources.