No LeFA rift: Maliehe

By Sunday Express On Jun 27, 2017

Likuena coach Moses Maliehe shout instructions to his players in Friday match played at Setsoto Stadium

Moorosi Tsiane

NATIONAL football team coach Moses Maliehe has rubbished rumours that his delay in leaving for Swaziland with the national team on Wednesday was caused by differences with Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) officials.

Likuena lined up two friendlies against Swaziland, the first which was on Friday and another this afternoon in Mbabane ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania on 10 June.

However, Maliehe remained behind and this fueled rumours of a fallout with LeFA.

However, Maliehe told the Sunday Express that he had delayed linking up with the team in order to vote yesterday in the country’s general elections.

Maliehe cast his vote as an advance voter ahead of the polls which are on this Saturday.

“It is nothing that has to do with inner politics in the association or what so ever that people may want to associate it with,” Maliehe said in a telephone interview on his way back from receiving United States-based midfielder Napo Matsoso from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.

“I stayed behind for personal reasons which are simply that tomorrow (Saturday) it is a voting day for advance voters and I had also applied.

“I will leave Swaziland soon after voting. I will also leave with Napo Matsoso to join the rest of the team for the second match to be played this afternoon,” Maliehe said.

Maliehe said he had applied for advance voting with the anticipation that their match against Tanzania will be played on the weekend of the elections.

“We had anticipated that our qualifier against Tanzania will be on the weekend of 3 June (election day) and I thought we would not be in the country,” he said.

The former Lioli and Matlama midfielder said the team played under the watchful eye of his assistant, Mpitsa Marai for the Friday match.

When asked whether or not the players would vote, Maliehe said to his knowledge none had applied for advance voting.

“I am here with the team manager who will also be voting on Saturday. We gave the application forms to all the players but none of them showed any interest.

“But they still have the chance to vote next week as we will be at home,” he said.

Likuena lost the first match 1-0 on Friday night in Manzini and the second match will be played this afternoon.