LeFA budgets M4 Million to revamp offices

TEBOHO JAFETA

MASERU – Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) president, Advocate Salemane Phafane KC, says the association has allocated a sum of M4 million for the refurbishment of its building at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena with construction expected to start soon.

Speaking at the media briefing held at Bambatha on Tuesday, Phafane said the construction will commence soon and said they have already signed the contract with the contractor who will do the job.

“Now that the Technical Centre is complete, I am proud to announce that we have on Monday been given the keys for the building by the contractor who was working on the project. We are about to transfer the staff to the located at the centre to allow the renovation to be conducted at the Bambatha offices,” he noted.

LeFA Secretary General, Mokhosi Mohapi, added that the refurbishment of LeFA headquarters will be conducted in two phases, with the first phase valued at M2.4 million while the second phase is projected at M1.6 million.

“This money is a separate budget from the one spent on the grounds and technical centre project. It is the one meant to renovate the football headquarters offices to give them the modern shape.”

Phafane further mentioned that DIFA Berea has secured the land and are awaiting the lease and said upon having the lease they will start planning the ground. “In addition, DIFA Thaba-Tseka have already secured the land and its lease, their site is about to be fenced and we will take it from there.

“Furthermore, we are about to fence our site in Ha Mabote. We have mixed feelings about the site. LeFA is still debating on whether to construct only grounds or build a commercial Centre inclusive of grounds,” Phafane added.

He also said they are trying to create a balance between making a commercial Centre which will give them revenue and making grounds which will not provide them revenue at that site.

“We are still consulting business experts on the matter. One day we need to sustain ourselves as LeFA, we should not always rely on the mother-body Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) for funding.

LeFA will never develop the facility belonging to the government. We learned the hard way that we will never develop the facility belonging to the government. We burned our fingers in developing the Setsoto Stadium through the installation of artificial turf,” he commented.

Phafane mentioned further that as a rule, LeFA will develop the ground only if such district has the lease in the names of LeFA and added that they will no longer develop the ground not belonging to LeFA. “DIFA cannot own the land but LeFA alone has the right to own the land,” he said.

He also pointed that LeFA spent a total of M23 million for the ongoing construction project which includes spectator sitting, technical centre and the installation of artificial turf at Bambatha and DIFA Mohale’s Hoek grounds.