Vodacom Premier League awards today

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – The Vodacom Premier League Awards ceremony for the 2020/21 season takes place in Maseru tonight, with a lot of speculation on some of the nominees who are likely to come tops. For the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) and Likuena striker, Katleho Makateng, it is a foregone conclusion he will be among the players to be awarded tonight after he became the top goal-scorer with 20 goals at the end of the season.

Makateng, 23, achieved that feat in his first season in the top-flight league. Other accolades to be won include Player of the Season Award, Goalkeeper of the Season Award and Young Player of the Season Award, among others. Premier League Management Committee (PLMC)’s Communications and Marketing Manager, Qamako Mahao, said the past season was the most challenging season ever in the history of Lesotho’s football.

“This was the most challenging season ever because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mahao in an interview with Public Eye on Tuesday this week. “It came with so many challenges which were all as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.” Mahao further said: “It (Covid-19 pandemic) has exposed how football in Lesotho lacks sponsorship.” Football in Lesotho was affected by Covid-19 pandemic since it hit the country from 2019, which resulted in the suspension of the local football seasons following the national lockdowns by the government of Lesotho.

The situation forced the 2019/20 season to end prematurely. The Lesotho top-flight football league had eight matches remaining on average when it ended prematurely. Bantu were the log-leaders when the league ended prematurely and therefore the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) awarded them the league title. The 2020/21 season was also suspended indefinitely, also due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

That was very disturbing to the clubs and the players, so much that some of the premier league clubs’ bosses wanted the top-flight football to be cancelled altogether in order for the PLMC to prepare for a new season which was to be the 2021/22 season.

That was since the clubs’ bosses said it was already too late for 2020/21 season, which was true because Lesotho is now lagging behind when it comes to football seasons. The country is yet to start the 2021/22 season while other countries had just completed it (2021/22) and are about to start a new season for the 2022/23. But premier league club bosses’ proposal was not taken which is why Lesotho had just completed the 2020/21 season and is yet to start a new season for the 2021/22.