HomeSportThotanyana hits back at “illegal” Lioli committee

Thotanyana hits back at “illegal” Lioli committee

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Moorosi Tsiane

FORMER Lioli president Lebohang Thotanyana has hit back at the team’s current committee for accusing him of sabotaging its work.

Thotanyana said as a patron of the club, he had a right to call the committee to order whenever it was out of line. He accused the committee of illegally remaining in office despite the end of its term last month.

Tse Nala’s interim president Lephethasang Hlajoane Lesaoana, last Wednesday accused Thotanyana and Chief Sempe Masupha of ordering the team’s sponsors, among them Alliance Insurance Company, to withhold the funds they give to the club on a monthly basis.

As a result, the club failed to pay its players their July 2020 salaries.

Lesaoana made the allegations against Thotanyana at a media briefing in Maseru.

The briefing was also attended by interim secretary Teboho Mofolo, interim president technical Moses Maliehe and committee members Mamoqebelo Semethe, Tsepo Shoai and Thamae Matjeke.

Lesaoana accused both Masupha (chief patron) and Thotanyana of interfering with the team’s daily business. He said patrons should stay out of the daily running of the team and should only act on behalf of the team at the command of the president.

Masupha recently wrote to both Alliance Insurance Company (sponsors) and Ramatheola Supermarket (tenants) asking them to stop disbursing funds to the committee as it was illegitimately in the office. In the letter seen by the Sunday Express, Masupha said the committee was supposed to have issued a notice of its annual general meeting (AGM) last month and eventually convene the meeting this month as stipulated by the club’s constitution.

But Thotanyana on Friday hit back saying it was their responsibility as the teams’ patrons to call the committee to order whenever they think they are out of line. Thotanyana accused the current committee of illegally remaining in office despite the ending of its term last month.

“As a former president of this team, I am a patron and one of my responsibilities is to ensure that everything is done by the book. I am surprised that this committee feels we are interfering when we try to advise them,” Thotanyana said.

“They were supposed to have called for an AGM but they are claiming that the police denied them a permit to hold an AGM. Since when do we seek permission to hold an AGM from the police.”

He said they have already sought the assistance of the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) to guide them on the matter.

“We have approached LeFA and have been directed that the team’s general manager must take over and facilitate the holding of the AGM to elect a new committee…”

Thotanyana, who left the Lioli presidency in August last year said could neither confirm nor deny that he was planning to return to the post.

He said it was wrong for the interim committee to sign players when there was no coach and a substantive committee.

“They can’t be signing players because there is neither a substantive committee nor a coach. It is wrong for an interim committee to sign players.

“When I started noticing that things were out of order, I tried talking to the treasure Rapuo Raseleso and a committee member Thamae Matjeke because they were elected in August last year but they refused to take. They said the co-opted committee was superior to them and I realised that I had to act as one of the patrons,” Thotanyana said.

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