Leemisa Thuseho

THE Federation of Lesotho Rugby (FLR) will tomorrow donate food parcels to local teams in response to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The goods will be handed over at Setsoto Stadium, in Maseru.

FLR secretary general Litšitso Motšeremeli told this publication on Friday that 120 people would benefit from the relief.

Motšeremeli said they are targeting individuals who have endured challenges since the beginning of the national lockdown in March this year.

“Rugby is not yet a paying sport in Lesotho, therefore we resolved to come assist our members who are struggling,” Motšeremeli said.

“Clubs and coaches helped us identify the beneficiaries.”

Among their targets are families of the five Mabote Beavers Under-16 players who died in an accident in Free State in June 2019. The accident happened while the team was on the way to Bloemfontein for a friendly against Mangaung Rugby Club. The survivors will also get food parcels.

Premier League teams with both male and female teams are expected to bring in 10 players while males only teams will bring in five players only.

There are six male teams and four female sides in Lesotho.

“We are striving for the inclusion of women inclusion in the sport, so we always ensure that clubs with both male and female teams get bigger portions of our support on different occasions,” Motšeremeli said.

He said the assistance was funded by Rugby Africa.

“Several competitions where our teams were meant to play were cancelled and we requested that Rugby Africa diverts the funding that had initially been meant for their travelling costs to help our members. Rugby Africa was happy with our proposal and did not hesitate to release the funds,” Motšeremeli said.