One step at a time

“WE HAD A GO AT THEM AS MUCH AS WE COULD AND I THINK THAT CAUGHT THEM WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN. THEY DIDN’T EXPECT US TO ATTACK THEM.”

The Lesotho national team has always been considered the whipping boys of African football, but in recent times, they have gone on to live up to their nickname of “Crocodiles”, whose strength in water is legendary. They held Cote d’Ivoire to a goalless draw at home, and produced the same result against both Benin and Nigeria in 2026 World Cup qualifiers. To crown it all, they came agonisingly close to winning the regional COSAFA Cup. Soccer Laduma’s Thomas Kwenaite spoke to their coach, Leslie Notsi, who is credited with turning Likuena’s fortunes around. In this interview, he not only spills the beans but also runs the rule over how they came close to upsetting the Super Eagles in Nigeria and picks out Bafana Bafana’s memorable semi-final match against Nigeria as one of the best matches he witnessed at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.

Thomas Kwenaite: What did you make of the 2023 Afcon?

Leslie Notsi: It was a very exciting, very interesting tournament seeing some of the so-called smaller nations raising up their hands and their players seemingly enjoying themselves and freely expressing themselves. Perhaps (it was due to) the increase in prize money where, for the first time, the champions took home $7 million (R132.6 million), but you can see that smaller nations are playing without fear and with a lot of confidence. The fact that the top five-ranked countries in Africa could not reach the quarter-finals is testimony of how much the game has grown in Africa. It says a lot about the general standard of the game across the continent.

TK: Having played Bafana Bafana in a friendly game that ended goalless a week before the tournament, did you expect them to reach the last semis?

LN:

I expected them to do well. I could see when we played them… I don’t think they were as sharp as they were at the tournament. I think for them, our friendly was just a dress rehearsal. They were not putting themselves under pressure, but you could even then see that they had a game plan. Maybe they had seen how we play, so they wanted a team that would approach the game as we normally do and for them to see how they would react when faced with such a team. They did very well. The odds were against them, but they have shown that they have good players. The most important thing for me when I watch them play is that you can see that they plan thoroughly for every match. They play according to their own strength and, for me, that’s where they are really good.

TK: A lot of people are talking about that performance against Nigeria…

LN:

That was one of the best matches of the tournament. Both teams were going at each other at full throttle and yes, there were times when South Africa dealt superbly with everything Nigeria threw at them. I think the team grew with each passing game and got better and better as the tournament progressed. They were very creative and at one stage Nigeria were hanging on for dear life and packed their defence with five players, a sign of how much they respected South Africa. In fact, had Khuliso Mudau connected cleanly with the Teboho Mokoena free-kick which Stanley Nwabali spilled onto the path of the defender, it would have been curtains for Nigeria. But instead of guiding the loose ball into the net, he skied it. Check the way they celebrated when the referee blew the final whistle and it tells you how relieved they were that it was over.

TK: What would you say strength of SA?

LN: I think using mostly Mamelodi Sundowns players in the starting XI worked for South Africa. And the fact that they used mostly localbased players yet reached the semifinals says volumes about the growth and development of Bafana Bafana. I think their experience in the CAF Champions League prepared them for this challenge and they came out tops. There was telepathy and their transition play was a marvel to watch as they were not intimidated by opponents who ply their trade in Europe and outplayed most of their opponents.

TK: Right. LN: was the

I was fortunate to attend the 2010 World Cup analysis in Cairo and I remember Vicente del Bosque, coach of Spain, making a presentation that he fielded eight players from Barcelona during that tournament and that their model was based on the way Barcelona played, hence their success. Hugo Broos and his technical committee have also adopted the same model and it worked out perfectly for them. With a little luck, they would have won this tournament.

TK: Ronwen Williams came to the party against Cape Verde!

LN:

Williams was phenomenal in this tournament. He marshalled the defence very well and was involved in crucial situations of the game. Congratulations to him for being voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament. He was indeed a pillar of strength and led by example. His build-up play from the back is something most goalkeepers can learn from. I hope the South African authorities hold on to to Broos because there is no doubt that he has started something wonderful with this group of players and they can only get even better from this experience. I also think playing in Pan-African club competitions has elevated the standard of Sundowns players to a certain level. Teboho (Mokoena) and “Yaya” (Sphephelo Sithole) knew that the Moroccans would load one section of the field and they cut those areas where Morocco could hurt them and denied them space. I also liked their transition in turning defence into attack and attack into defence. They did that exceptionally and I think (Evidence) Makgopa does a lot of work without getting the credit he deserves.

TK: You’ve also played Nigeria in a 2026 World Cup qualifier. What did you make of them?

LN:

They also performed well. I think after we played them, they got a lot of stick from their supporters. I guess people were not expecting that the Super Eagles could drop points in their backyard against a small footballing nation like Lesotho. It galvanised them to work harder at the Afcon and to not take things for granted. You could see the talent at their disposal, which is their main strength collectively. They have players that can score any time if they are given that opportunity.

TK: What was Lesotho’s game plan in that 1-1 draw?

LN:

We had watched them play and realised that they can give you both space and the time to play. So, we planned that since they give opponents acres of space to play, let’s try to capitalise on that and take the game to them. We had a go at them as much as we could and I think that caught them with their pants down. They didn’t expect us to attack them. We created scoring opportunities even though we knew it was not going to be easy, given the players that they have. When we scored, it rattled them. It was only after we had scored that their true qualities shone through. They closed up the spaces and Alex Iwobi became the most troublesome individual in the middle. We absorbed everything they threw at us and kept going at them with the same vigour. That is how we gained that crucial point away.

TK: Overall, which country impressed you in this Afcon tournament?

LN: The ones that were never given a chance, the likes of South Africa,

Mauritania,

Cape Verde, the DR Congo and also Angola, especially because they come from our region. I think Senegal also played well, but I don’t know where it went pear-shaped for them when they unexpectedly lost their composure against 10-man Cote d’Ivoire. They allowed their opponents back into the game and paid the ultimate penalty.

TK: Does it not bother you that in the COSAFA region, Lesotho and Mauritius are the only countries to have never qualified for the tournament?

LN:

Yeah, I’d say ourselves, Mauritius and eSwatini have indeed never qualified. It does worry us, but at the same time we need to take one step at a time. I’ve always said for us as Lesotho, we need to be competitive in COSAFA, and I think we’ve done that because last year we lost 1-0 to Zambia in the final. In the World Cup qualifiers, we held Nigeria 1-1 and Benin 0-0. Remember, we also held Bafana Bafana to a 0-0 draw, so there is progress. We have to be realistic about little things and be consistent in the manner in which we prepare because if we train well, that will give us an edge.

TK: Sekhoane Moerane has been outstanding in recent months. Tell us a little more about him?

LN:

He is a hard worker and a very humble player. He works very hard and he approaches his training like it’s an actual match, hence we gave him the captaincy. He has kept us alive in most games, like when we drew 0-0 with Ivory Coast away in Abidjan and also in Nigeria, he was there for the team. In the COSAFA Cup, he played a huge role for us and won Goalkeeper of the Tournament as well as Goalkeeper of the Year in Lesotho. It says a lot about him and we are very happy that he has an opportunity to pursue his career with Orbit College in South Africa because that will help in his development.

TK: Which other players ply their trade outside of Lesotho? LN:

We have Tshwarelo Bereng (Mbabane Highlanders), Motebang Sera (Royal AM). We also have Katleho Makateng (Richards Bay FC), Thabiso Brown (Dandong Tengyue, China), Thato Sefoli (Upington City), Neo Mokachane (VTM FC, Botswana) and Lesia Thetsane (Ballard FC, USL League 2). Those are the players that are plying their trade outside Lesotho and we appreciate the fact that when they come back, they will add value to the national team.

TK: How much is playing your home games away from home impacting the team?

LN:

It has contributed towards a huge financial strain as well as the team missing the support of the 12th player. But at the same time ,I always tell the players that we should try to turn those challenges into positives because the players have now grown mentally. Somehow we have turned it into something that makes the team stronger. The other day we discovered that we have moved five places up in the FIFA rankings, which was a huge motivation.

TK: You are grouped together with Bafana in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and play your home matches in Mzansi. Are you going to play your home match against them in SA?

LN:

The fixture is scheduled for 2025 and I don’t know if Setsoto Stadium shall be ready at that time. But if it is not ready, then it goes without saying that we will play them twice in South Africa, and we look forward to those matches.

TK: What was your experience of coaching in SA like?

LN:

It was a good experience coaching in a professional set-up. It broadened my horizons. I got a lot of exposure and it helped me very much as I joined after qualifying Lesotho for the Afcon Youth Championships. Garankuwa United employed me and I met a lot of coaches in SA. I worked with players like Mpho Mvelase (TS Galaxy), Siyabonga Zulu (NB La Masia) and Mbulelo Wambi (Moroka Swallows). Generally, I gained a lot of experience and management was extremely supportive.

TK: You also coached at the FIFA Kick4Life Centre. What were your duties and responsibilities there and how was FIFA involved?

LN:

Kick4Life is a charitable project started with the aim of accommodating abandoned, homeless and orphaned children across Lesotho, and FIFA got involved in supporting the project venture. The team ended up promoted to the Premier League, so I got involved with them and it was a very good project that we had. Management was a well-oiled machine because there is Chris Bullock, a director from England, who did good and established clubs for all genders. We have also managed to send other children to the United States to play but also pursue educational backgrounds. It was all about giving those abandoned kids hope that all is not lost.