…as Makepe says exposure to top sides will aid player development

By Leemisa Thuseho

THE Under-20 national soccer team, Makoanyane XI, left the country yesterday for the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027 COSAFA qualifiers, which run from 18 to 27 September.

The Motolo Makepe-coached side has been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions South Africa, Angola and eSwatini.

Makoanyane XI will open their campaign against neighbours South Africa on 19 September before facing eSwatini on 21 September and Angola on 23 September.

Makepe told the Lesotho Times before their departure that his charges were ready for the challenge against South Africa, whom he described as one of the toughest opponents in the group.

He said opening the campaign against South Africa could work to Lesotho’s advantage, as the team had prepared by playing DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) sides such as AmaZulu and Durban City, among others.

According to Makepe, those matches gave his players an idea of what to expect from the South African Under-20 side, which is largely made up of players from DDC clubs.

“Thanks to our association — LeFA — for allowing us the opportunity to play some DDC teams in South Africa like AmaZulu and Durban City and some academies in KwaZulu-Natal. It knew that we would be in the same group with South Africa, which is made up of players from the DDC teams,” Makepe said.

While confident that his players are ready for the challenge, Makepe acknowledged that their opponents have had more time to prepare.

“We are going to play with players that have much time to prepare than us. South Africa, the coaches have a chance to prepare their team throughout the year, but for us, we get three weeks during holidays. But that is not an excuse. I can assure you that the players are ready, mentally and physically,” he said.

Makepe had previously expressed concern that the tournament would clash with some players’ final examinations. However, he said LeFA intervened by writing to schools to request the release of the players, with the schools proving cooperative.

“On that issue of schools, the association wrote to schools and asked for the players and schools were cooperative. So, in our team, we have people like the assistant coach, Tšepo Mokhele, who is a teacher. He helps the players with their studies. We had planned our training sessions in such a way that they also give the players time to study,” Makepe said.

Although many view Makoanyane XI’s Group B draw as a difficult one, Makepe sees it as an opportunity for his players to test themselves against some of the region’s strongest teams.

He said Lesotho needed to regularly face strong opposition if it was to develop players capable of eventually representing the senior national team.

“This is a very interesting draw. For us to be among the top teams, we have to play against the top teams,” Makepe said.

He added that the team’s ambitions went beyond simply qualifying for the continental finals, with player development also a key objective.

“The wish is that if we progress beyond the group stages, we can come back having again played against the likes of Zambia. We want to hit two birds with one stone — seeking qualification and also striving for player development for the future,” he said.

Makepe believes the current Makoanyane XI squad contains players who could become future Likuena stars and therefore need exposure to high-level competition.

“These are Likuena’s future players, so we have to make sure that they get this kind of exposure,” he said.

Makoanyane XI will be seeking to qualify for the AFCON finals for only the third time in the country’s history.

Lesotho previously qualified in 2005 under the late Seepheephe “Mochine” Matete, when the tournament was hosted by Benin, and again in 2011 under coach Leslie Notši, when South Africa staged the finals.