Moorosi Tsiane
LIOLI coach Lehlohonolo Thotanyana has called it a day after leading the side to an Independence Cup triumph in the just ended season.
Thotanyana, who had a one-year contract with Lioli, told the Sunday Express that he has no intention of renewing it as he feels that he has given everything in terms of enough when it comes to coaching.
The gaffer said his intentions were never to go beyond a one-season contract when he took the job at the beginning of the season.
“I am leaving coaching and I have already met with the management and told them that I will not be renewing my contract because my intention was never to go beyond one season,” Thotanyana said.
“I think I have done enough in coaching and I guess I need to move on to other things.”
Thotanyana, who was Lesotho Football Association’s (LeFA) technical director before joining Lioli, said he has not received any offers from the Lioli management so far but said there has been talk of him becoming the side’s technical director or the president.
“Nothing official has been said but there have been talks of me being the technical director or the president and I don’t mind that. However, nothing official has been said, these are just people thoughts,” he said.
Lioli finished the season with one cup (Independence Cup) but missed out on the opportunity to defend their trophy next season as they finished seventh, a development that angered some of the Lioli supporters.
However, Thotanyana said he is not moved by that because Lioli is still in a rebuilding phase and he believes that they still manage to win a trophy with a relatively new squad.
“The squad was overhauled at the end of the 2017/18 season and when we arrived, we had to hold trials to get players and you can’t expect miracles from after that. I think we still did our best with that squad because we have won the trophy. Other teams which had more quality than us ended the season empty handed.
“But I know the supporters will always demand success, so I don’t mind them as such because I know we did all we could. I was actually tempted to maybe take the team for one other season after we finishing seventh just decided against it,” Thotanyana said.
Thotanyana, who won league with Lioli in the 2013/14, said while there is still a chance for him to return to the dugout, for now he has had enough.
“There is an adage that say ‘never say never’ so I don’t want to say I am leaving coaching for good because I don’t know what will happen in future but what I know is that for now, I have had it with coaching. I need new challenges,” Thotanyana said.
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