By Leemisa Thuseho
LIJABATHO may have bowed out of the CAF Champions League, but head coach, Kabelo Malapane, believes their continental campaign has provided valuable lessons and experience for both the players and technical team.
The Morija-based outfit’s continental journey ended on Saturday after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Madagascar’s CFFA at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, South Africa.
Lijabatho had already suffered a 2-0 defeat to CFFA in the first leg of the preliminary round in Mauritius on 5 August, resulting in a 3-1 aggregate loss.
Reflecting on the campaign, Malapane said the team’s ability to dominate proceedings in both legs was encouraging, but their failure to create and convert clear-cut chances ultimately cost them.
He also identified nervousness, particularly in the away match, as one of the team’s major shortcomings.
“The experience was very good for the entire team, both players and technical team,” Malapane told the Lesotho Times this week.
“We dominated both of our games… but nervousness let us down in our first away game.”
Malapane said the intensity of the CAF Champions League demanded more than simply dominating domestic football, adding that Lesotho players need greater confidence and ambition to compete successfully at continental level.
“The CAF Champions League intensity is very high, so one cannot be guaranteed a good performance at that level by just dominating local football.
“Again, Lesotho players are good but there is still more that needs to be done to improve their confidence and make them be ambitious and dream big. Our players also must dream big,” he said.
For Malapane, who also made his debut in Africa’s premier club competition, regular participation in continental football is crucial if Lesotho clubs are to become more competitive.
“I have learned that for the Lesotho teams, the only way to be successful in CAF is they must dominate the domestic league and go to the Champions League many times,” he said.
He cited established continental sides such as Simba of Tanzania, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Espérance of Tunisia and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa as examples of clubs that have benefited from regular participation in the competition.
“We have seen the likes of Simba from Tanzania, Wydad from Morocco, Espérance from Tunisia and Sundowns from South Africa, to mention a few. They are always there and that performance season in, season out can tell you experience is crucial at that level.”
Malapane also stressed the importance of thorough preparations ahead of continental assignments, suggesting that regular friendly matches against South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) opposition could help Lesotho clubs raise their competitive levels.
With their CAF Champions League campaign now over, Lijabatho will turn their attention to defending their Vodacom Premier League (VPL) title.
