Moorosi Tsiane
I have watched players in different leagues across the globe and enjoyed watching them display attractive football.
I have also been following the domestic league for a long time, and I must say, to some extent, I have been impressed with the way the players have been fighting for their teams.
However, I cannot say the same for the Rovers-versus-Linare match I watched at LCS Ground last Sunday, which ranks as one of the worst I have seen in my life.
Rovers were so poor they looked like a B Division team, and if they were not playing an equally uninspiring Linare, I am sure they could have lost 7-0 or by an even bigger margin, not the single goal they conceded that day.
I tried to figure out what could have happened to the mighty Dynamites who went into that fixture third on the 14-team premiership table.
Then I remembered that the day before that match, Saturday, was one of the biggest on the National University of Lesotho (NUL) calendar as the college hosted its annual graduation ceremony.
Since Rovers are a NUL team, maybe the players could have been part of the celebrations hence their lethargy against Linare because there is no way the team could have gone into the tie in such a respectable position with that kind of play.
This column is not for apportioning blame for our football’s shortcomings, but exploring ways to improve the local game.
It is no secret that Europe is leading the game’s revolution, and has since made football big business, a profession, and not a pastime the way it used to be in the good old days when life, in general, was not such a hassle.
But in Africa, the game has generally continued to suffer, with most countries still playing it at amateur level. Lesotho is a good example of this amateurism; we are still very far from the professionals we are striving to be with the players failing to realise this is a very serious sport that requires very committed and disciplined individuals.
In one of my last columns, I spoke against the indiscipline displayed by some of our players off the pitch, such as walking the city streets drinking beer.
I don’t support such behaviour at all as it shows our players are not serious about the profession.
Sadly, it is the poor coach who takes the blame when a team fails to perform. But why can’t the administration put the players in camp before matches to ensure they don’t get involved in any mischief?
Last Sunday, I could see the frustration on the face of Rovers coach, Pule Khojane, as he was forced to make a first-half double-substitution because the players were clearly exhausted.
In addition to the coaches, I also sympathise with fans who have to pay their hard-earned cash to watch such mediocrity.
I have said it before—that supporters complain about the unruly behaviour of our footballers but the players have decided to turn a blind eye to these concerns; they get drunk on the eve of matches and then give poor performances like the scandal I saw at LCS Ground last weekend.
Like I said, these players really need to start taking supporters, the game and themselves seriously, if our football is to develop.
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