The Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) has finally acted on mounting pressure from the football fraternity by firing senior national team coach Leslie Notši and his entire technical team, in a move that signals the beginning of a new era under the association’s recently elected leadership.
The dismissals, confirmed by LeFA Secretary General Mokhosi Mohapi, follow Likuena’s failure to deliver on it’s mandates in both the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Many questioned why changes were not made sooner despite a string of disappointing results and persistent struggles.
Coach Notši, along with his assistant coaches Bafokeng Mohapi and Abraham Mongoya and goalkeeper coach Samuel Ketsekile, were eventually shown the door. For months, the writing had been written on the wall. LeFA’s executive committee had openly suggested that Notši’s future would be decided after the national team’s poor performances, yet decisive action was repeatedly delayed.
Likuena failed to advance beyond the group stages at the COSAFA in South Africa earlier this year in June, stumbled through a disappointing World Cup qualifiers campaign, and missed out on qualification for the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco, scheduled for 21 December to 18 January 2026. All these missions ended in failure, which further intensified calls for a coaching overhaul.
Despite a verbal warning issued after the World Cup qualifiers, that the technical team’s days were numbered, LeFA raised eyebrows by allowing Notši to remain in charge for two international friendly matches against Malawi at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. Many supporters viewed the decision as a clear contradiction of the association’s own stance.
Notši, who also notably doubled as LeFA’s technical director, was appointed in 2023 following the departure of Serbian coach Veselin Jelusic. While his reign did produce a bright moment in guiding Likuena to the 2023 COSAFA Cup final, where they lost narrowly to Zambia, many critics argue that isolated success was not enough to mask deeper, long-term problems.
LeFA Secretary General Mokhosi Mohapi has confirmed the sackings, but has also clarified further that the purge extends far beyond the senior men’s team. It affects coaches of all national teams, including the Under-20 and Under-17 squads for both men and women. Coaches currently in possession of LeFA property have been instructed to return all association assets by the end of the week, while the federation finalizes pro rata payments for work already completed.
These mass dismissals also come in the wake of a significant political change at LeFA, following the election of Lijane Nthunya as president in October, bringing to an end the reign of former president Advocate Salemane Phafane KC. According to Mohapi, the restructuring is part of a deliberate strategy to align technical appointments with the vision of the new administration.
Mohapi stated that the association will soon advertise the coaching vacancies, as it seeks to search for a new technical team that aligns with the new leadership’s vision to rescue a national side that many believe has been allowed to drift for far too long.
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