Football in Lesotho
Football in Lesotho | |
---|---|
Country | Lesotho |
Governing body | Lesotho Football Association |
National team(s) | Men's national team |
Clubs | Lesotho Premier League |
International competitions | |
African Cup of Nations (National Team) |
The
National association
The Lesotho Football Association was founded in 1932 and renamed, in 1992, as "Lesotho Football Association" (LEFA). In 1964, they joined FIFA and the CAF. The current president is the lawyer Salemane Phafane.
Domestic football
The Lesotho Premier League was founded in 1970 as the highest national league. At times it bore the names of sponsors. For example, during the 2013/14 season it was called the Vodacom Premier League. Most clubs come from the capital Maseru. Some clubs are associated with institutions such as the army, police and the judiciary. The annual highlight is the cup games for the independence celebrations on 4 October, in which four teams each participate. The 14 clubs of the Lesotho Premier League compete the trophy.
Record champions include Maseru's Matlama FC and Lesotho Defense Force and their predecessors from Maseru, each with ten titles (including a title from Matlama in 1969). Lesotho Prison's service / Lesotho Correctional Services has won six league titles, Lioli FC five titles and Arsenal FC, Linare FC and Maseru United / Maseru Brothers three titles each. Lioli FC are also the most successful club in the country not to come from Maseru.
National team
The national team of Lesotho played their first international match in 1970, a 2–1 victory against Malawi. They have not qualified for a FIFA World Cup or Africa Cup of Nations yet.
Their highest position in the
From 2004 to 2006, the German
The biggest success of the national team was reaching the final in the regional competition of the COSAFA Cup 2000. In 2004 they could have, for the first time, qualified for a team for an under 20 national continental championship.
The nickname of the national team is Likuena (Sesotho for "the crocodiles").
Women's football
The
Stadium and technical centre
In the 1980s, the "
Other football fields in Lesotho are often very simple, so there are no spectator stands there.
Football stadiums in Lesotho
The largest stadium by capacity in Lesotho is the 13,900-capacity Setsoto Stadium.
Stadium | Capacity | City | Image |
---|---|---|---|
Setsoto Stadium | 13,900 | Maseru |
See also
References
- ^ "Wake-up call for Lesotho football – Sunday Express". Sundayexpress.co.ls. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "Times Of Swaziland". Times.co.sz. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "Lesotho hit by match-fixing link | News | Africa | Mail & Guardian". Mg.co.za. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "Focus on youth pays off for Crocodiles". FIFA.com. 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2013-12-05.[dead link]
- ^ "Lesotho Goal Project" (PDF). FIFA.com. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2020.