Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Lesotho Football Association has appointed Bob Mafoso as the new head coach of its senior national team taking over the reins from Leslie Notši, whose engagement in charge of the team concluded in December.
Mafoso, who served Likuena as the assistant coach to Notši, joins after a spell in Namibia, where he was in charge of African Stars.
His big breakthrough as a coach came during the 2013/2014 season when he led minnows and now defunct Likila United into sixth position in their debut season playing in the Lesotho Premier League.
After the impressive spell at Likila, Mafoso was lured by then big spenders, Sandawana, where he led the now defunct Botha Bothe side to fourth place in the Premier League.
His rise as a young coach in the country attracted the attention of Premier League big guns and was in 2016 appointed the assistant coach to James Madidilane at Bantu as the club won back-to-back league titles.
In 2018, Mafoso joined Kick4Life as the head coach of its men team in the Premier League and guided the club to a fifth position finish. He returned to Bantu in 2019 as the head coach and led the club to its fourth league title after going on an 18-match unbeaten streak in a Covid-19 ravaged season.
The Leribe born also had short spells in charge of Lioli and Linare before moving to Namibia, where he added a league title to his cabinet and qualifying for the CAF Champions League.
With the national teams, Mafoso was the assistant coach to Notši, when the Lesotho National U-20 side, Makoanyane XI reached the final of the COSAFA U-20 Championship in 2017, where they lost to South Africa as well runners-up to Zambia in the 2023 edition COSAFA Cup, where Likuena lost to eventually champions, Zambia.
Speaking during his unveiling, Mafoso admitted that he excited and scared knowing the mammoth task that awaits him as he begins his tenure as the new Likuena coach.
“I have mixed emotion about the job. I’m excited and scared at the same because I know that expectations are very high,” Mafoso said. “I take strength from knowing that I have the commitment from the President that he will give me and the team support.”
