…club fails to pay players, suspends training
Moorosi Tsiane
ECONET Premier League side, Matlama’s woes worsened last week amid revelations that the technical team was forced to suspend training sessions on Tuesday after management’s failure to pay the players’ monthly allowances.
A well-placed source within the country’s most successful team told the Sunday Express that the players were only given M500 each last Friday with the promise that the outstanding balances would be settled by Monday.
However, this was not to be and on Tuesday, the technical team resolved to suspend training sessions until the balance was settled.
Matlama President, Ikarabele Sello, blamed the non-payment of allowances on the “negligence” of their treasurer.
“I heard that the team is not training because players were not paid and it is surprising because the team has the money but it’s all because someone decided to ignore their responsibilities in the committee,” Sello said.
“Our treasurer is the one who deals with such issues and he left for Botswana last week without processing the allowances. He returned on Monday and told the players that he would address the matter but he has not done so up to now.
“This is this kind of negative publicity that hinders us from getting sponsorship. It is also a huge inconvenience especially for the technical team as we had just appointed a new coach, Mosito Matela. He called me and informed me about the matter.”
Sello said the M500 the players received on Friday came from the team’s vice president after he was asked to assist by the treasurer who had realised that he was late with payments.
“I think some people are now tired hence they are dragging their feet but after our financial audit last month we agreed that we will hold elections for a new committee,” he said.
Tse Putsoa have endured a poor start to the 2017/18 season, collecting just five points from a possible 12. They are sitting on seventh position in the 14-team Econet Premier League table with two draws, a win and a loss.
The club’s patrons recently resolved to bring forward a special conference to elect a new executive committee to 28 October 2017 in a bid to stem the continuing poor run.
The special conference was supposed to be held in December this year, but Matlama’s continued lacklustre performances prompted the patrons to bring the date forward to elect a new executive committee.
Matlama’s five chief patrons consist of the Maseru principal chiefs, Khoabane Theko (Thaba-Bosiu), Seeiso Bereng Seeiso (Matsieng), Mabela Maama (Roma), Bereng Api (Ramabanta) and Bereng Bereng (Rothe).
The team also has ordinary patrons who are all former presidents of the club.