No date yet for VPL Awards

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – No date has yet been set for the 2020/21 Vodacom Premier League (VPL) awards, according to the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC). The local 2020/21 football premier season came to an end last month, with Matlama FC being crowned league champions. According to the PLMC Communications and Marketing Manager (CMM), Qamako Mahao, the committee was yet to hold a meeting with the sponsors regarding the awards ceremony.

“We are looking forward to having a final meeting with our sponsor during the course of this week and come up with dates of awards and other issues,” said Mahao in an interview with Public Eye on Tuesday this week. Mahao noted: “Certainly during the course of this week we will know what is going to happen.”

The two-year term of office for the current PLMC is about to expire and Mahao said immediately after the VPL awards his committee would be making a handover in order for the elite league clubs to elect a new committee.

“Our committee’s term in office will be over after the awards ceremony and we will be making a handover for the management to decide when the elections will be conducted,” Mahao said. The PLMC is also yet to announce nominees for the 2020/21 season and so far only the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) striker, Katleho Makateng, is looking forward to receiving his top goal-scorer award after topping the premiership scoring charts with 20 goals.

Makateng scored six goals more than last season’s top goal-scorer, Litšepe Marabe, who was then playing for Bantu and currently plying his trade with Indian side, Kerela FC. Marabe scored 14 goals with the then 2019/20 Econet Premier League season which ended pre-maturely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the league was cut short, the then 14-team Econet Premier League campaigners had eight games remaining on average.

As a result, Bantu were awarded the League title since they were the log leaders when the Lesotho top-flight league was ended pre-maturely because of the coronavirus. Bantu were at the time opening a 16-point gap between them and the then runners up, Matlama. The decision to award Bantu with the League title saw Matlama challenging the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA)’s conclusion.

But Matlama lost the case with the (Disciplinary and Protests Committee (DISPROCO), Panel Court and Tribunal respectively. Even though Bantu were awarded the league title, no teams were relegated from the premier league, but two teams from the A-Division were promoted to the elite league.