Setsoto Stadium will be a hive of activity as top four teams slug it out to be crowned LNIG Top 8 Champions for this year, (2019) during a soccer extravaganza scheduled for this weekend.
The tournament which is sponsored by Lesotho National Insurance Group (LNIG) will come to an end on Sunday, but the semi-finals will be played on Saturday, where Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) FC will lock horns with Bantu FC and in another match later on the day Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS) FC will entertain Matlama FC.
All the four teams have the potential to be in the finals as they are doing quite well in the domestic league, the Econet Lesotho Premier League. The fourth runner up will receive M50 000, while the third will get M60 000 and the second get M80 000.The Champions will be paid a whopping M100 000 and a cup.
LDF Spokesman Tony Ntakha told the Reporter in an interview that his team is on course to be crowned the LNIG Top 8 Champions beating Bantu and wrapping up the cup in style on Sunday when they play either LCS or Matlama. He said he preferred to go to the finals with Matlama because they were playing exciting football, but he was also open to the idea of having LCS too.
‘Our team is in good form as our coaches have been drilling our strikers who will be scoring goals against Bantu. Thabang Rabi, Letlatsa Moshoeshoe and Thabo Toloane will do a good job in scoring goals. We want to score more than two goals against Bantu and march all the way to the finals,’ said Ntakha.
He added that LDF was also solid at the back as Matli Matli, Lebesa Lebesa, Tsholo Molapo Malebanye Lebona and Thabiso Phakisi would make the defense to keep away any attacks.
On the other hand, LCS’s spokesman Kofa Rantai said his team wanted to win the LNIG top 8 cup for the fans saying as their name is Masheshena, they are going to take it all. He said their date with Matlama would be just a walk in the park as he trusts his boys to score more than three goals against ‘Tse Putsoa’ which is on top form at the moment.
‘We would like to play against LDF in the final as they are also playing quiet well but it would be a cherry on top if we meet Bantu as we have struggled to beat them in previous encounters. We would like to avenge our loses against them. We are saying that cup belongs to us and I wish to invite all soccer loving fans to the stadium to be witnesses of this achievement,’ said Rantai.
Before the kick-off of the semi-finals there will be a curtain raiser game between LCS Under 17 team and Lesotho Under 17 team. Entrance fee is M30 at the Royal stand and M20 at the open stand. It has been promised that security will be tight.
