Mohale FM Lesotho Under-20 national team, Makoanyane XI, today began a month-long training camp at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena as preparations intensify for the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The qualifiers will be contested through the COSAFA Under-20 Championship, scheduled for September 21 to 30, with the regional tournament doubling as the zonal qualification competition for the continental showpiece.
Makoanyane XI head coach Motolo Makepe and his technical team have named a 25-man squad that is expected to report for camp at the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) headquarters today.
The intensive training programme is aimed at ensuring the team is adequately prepared for the competition, with several friendly matches also lined up to assess the squad’s readiness and allow the technical team to fine-tune combinations.
Makoanyane XI will be seeking to secure a place at the AFCON finals for only the third time in the country’s history. Lesotho previously qualified for the tournament in 2005 under the late Seepheephe “Mochine” Matete when the competition was held in Benin, and again in 2011 under coach Leslie Notsi when the finals were staged in South Africa.
The upcoming COSAFA championship presents another opportunity for the young Basotho side to make history by booking a return to the continental stage after a lengthy absence.
With a month of intensive preparations ahead, expectations will be high that Makepe’s charges can rise to the challenge and compete strongly against the region’s best youth teams.
