Mikia Kalati

MASERU — Matlama captain, Nkau Lerotholi, says is delighted to be back in the national soccer team.
Lerotholi missed Likuena’s tie against Zambia after his club was suspended from all league action following a bitter battle with the football authorities over sponsorship.
The hard tackling defender has been recalled to the team that began training at the start of this week.
Joint Vodacom premier league top goal scorer, Tšepo Seturumane, of Lioli and Linare striker Moorosi Tšiu are the new faces in the team.
“It is always an honour for every player to near his national team jersey and I was very hurt that I could not take part in the game against Zambia,” Lerotholi said.
“I’m relieved that the suspension of my team has been lifted and we are back in action while I can also continue with my national team duties.”
Lerotholi told the Sunday Express that he is looking forward to their busy June schedule where they face Zambia on June 8 and Ghana on June 16 at Setsoto Stadium.
“It was a difficult period for me and I was struggling to come to terms with it but my Likuena coach, Ntate Leslie Notsi, was very helpful during that period to calm me down,” said Lerotholi.
Meanwhile, the Zambian Football Association (Faz) has announced that the June 8 tie against Likuena has been moved from Lusaka to Ndola.
Notsi told this paper that the fact that the Zambia FA has moved the game from Lusaka shows they will do everything to win the match.
“It’s part of the mind games used in football, but we are also preparing our players because it is going to be war on the field of play in the second leg match in their country,” Notsi said.
The former Matlama coach said that Seturumane and Tšiu have done well at club level and deserved to be called to the national team.
For the returning Lerotholi, he said the defender has been an important member of the team over the years and adds more value and competition into the team.
“They have done well at their respective clubs and it is only fair that we give them a chance as we also try to reinforce the team going forward,” he said.
Seturumane is the league’s joint top goal scorer alongside Bantu’s Litšepe Marabe with 13 goals.
He said they are trying to grow the two forwards in the national set-up because they have a promising future.