MASERU – The long-anticipated 2024/25 Vodacom Premier League will now kick off on September 21, following a week-long delay caused by chaos surrounding the availability of approved league venues.
Initially scheduled to start on September 14, the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) was forced to push back the season’s start due to unresolved issues regarding playing grounds.
One of the most notable absences is the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) ground, home to the LCS Football Club. The venue’s exclusion stems from a branding dispute between the stadium’s management and the league’s sponsor, Vodacom Lesotho. The ground is currently branded with the colours of Econet Telecom Lesotho, a direct competitor to Vodacom. Unless the branding is removed, Vodacom has threatened to suspend the venue from hosting any league matches.
“Vodacom is not happy with the branding and wants it removed. We have rules regarding this, and it was actually started by Econet when they were sponsoring the league,” Ramakatsa explained.
LCS management, however, claims they are not responsible for the branding, stating that the agreement was made directly with Econet by the LCS commissioner. The PLMC met with LCS representatives to discuss the issue, and the club reiterated their position, indicating that the matter would be escalated to higher authorities.
On his facebook post, LeFA Secretary General, Mokhosi Mohapi said, “the PLMC and the LeFA SG in today’s meeting discussed and reached an amicable way of using the LCS FC ground just in the same manner as Sport organisation such as FIFA. CAF deal with branding at Stadia…”
“I hope you all get how it works. Many of you have seen instances where branding has been covered in black hence the term blackening of branding that is not compliant.”
As it stands, four grounds, three owned by the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA), one by LCS have been cleared for use. These are the District Football Association grounds in Maputsoe and Mohale’s Hoek, as well as LEFA’s Bambatha headquarters in Maseru. The shortage of approved venues poses a significant challenge as many fixtures remain without confirmed locations, with several marked “To Be Announced” in the draft fixture list.
The Ratjomose ground, home to Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), offers some hope as recent upgrades have brought it closer to approval. Fencing has been completed, and mobile dressing rooms are set to be installed this week, increasing the likelihood that it will be cleared for use.
With just over a week until the new kick-off date, all eyes will be on the upcoming meetings as the league’s management scrambles to resolve these logistical challenges.
