Mikia Kalati
MASERU — The year 2012 was a memorable one on the sporting field.
We review some of the big headlines that hogged the limelight this year.
The Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) was in the headlines right from the beginning of the year.
In January Likuena were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations by minnows Sao Tome and Principe after the team was stuck in Gabon following shambolic travelling arrangements by the football governing body.
Soon afterwards the football mother body was once again hogging the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Lefa was broke and could not pay salaries of their staff for close to four months and had to be bailed out by their president Salemane Phafane.
Defending premier league champions, Lesotho Correctional Service, (LCS) retained the Vodacom Premier League title in May.
The association’s troubles continued in June when Likuena arrived in Ghana for their opening 2014 World Cup qualifiers just hours prior to kick-off.
The results were telling.
Likuena were hammered 7-0.
The poor showing came after Likuena endured a nightmare trip to the West African country.
The Lesotho team was stuck at OR Tambo International Airport for days due to visa problems and only arrived in Kumasi just four hours before kick-off.
It was during this trip that playmaker, Motlalepula Mofolo, was dropped from the team after endless battles between the player and the association over allowances.
The troubles of the association did not go down well with the football supporters as they petitioned the Lefa executive committee to resign.
Lefa also withdrew the national Under-20 team, Makoanyane XI, from taking part in the African Youth Championships, just a year after they made it to the finals of the youth tournament.
The appointment of the new sports minister, Thesele ’Maseribane, in June, brought hope to the sports fraternity.
Many hoped the appointment of the former Lesotho Swimming Association president, would breathe new life into Lesotho’s sports.
In July Team Lesotho failed dismally at the London Olympic Games.
Even marathon queen ’Mamoroalo Tjoka failed to live up to expectations as our team once again headed home without a single medal.
Mafeteng-based side, Bantu, successful defended their Independence Cup trophy defeating LCS on penalties for the second year running.
A Matšo Matebele, as Bantu are affectionately known, had invested hugely during off-season and it was not a surprise when they won the only cup competition of the 2012-13 season in the country.
The athletics association elections were marred by controversy as athletes called on the Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission to nullify elections of the new executive committee.
Tjoka turned the tables around from her disappointing Olympics performance to win the Soweto marathon for the historic seventh time in November.
The Mantšonyana-born athlete was in the headlines again a few weeks later when she became the first runner to win the Letseng High Altitude summer marathon for the third successive time in the first week of December.
The Lesotho team currently involved in the Supreme Council of Sports in Africa, has already done the country proud.
The national Under-17 soccer team finished as group leaders while other sporting codes like boxing also raised the country’s flag high by winning a number of medals.
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