Africa-Press – Lesotho. After a year on the side-lines nursing a knee injury, Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) midfielder Khubetsoana Kamela produced a remarkable debut for the police team in the 2023/23 campaign which saw him score eight goals.
That is the most Kamela has scored since debuting in the Vodacom Premier League six years ago, and on top of the goals, he provided numerous assists to his teammates.
Normally people that have suffered knee injuries and stood on the side-lines for a long time come back shy of contact on the field. Sometimes they do not play the whole season because they are still nursing themselves back into the game, both physically and mentally.
The fact that the 24-year-old Kamela only missed one league game for LMPS last season and played 29 games is what makes his comeback even more remarkable. At LMPS he is not learning, he is delivering what is expected of him, he says.
He credits Kick4Life and his former coaches for making him the player he is today – a boy that has grown into a man and is now a reliable key player for the police team.
Kamela says the Kick4Life foundation is the best any young player can get. While at Kick4Life he got to learn from experienced players such as Bokang Mothoana and coaches like Leslie Notši and Bob Mafoso, amongst others.
Each coach had their own philosophy which meant players had to adapt and it is the different styles and coaching that he says made him grow as a person and player.
“Anyone who can get into the Kick4Life academy, be lucky, they will get the best foundation.
I learnt a lot, it was a learning period for me while there, and now it’s about delivering,” he says. “I worked with different coaches at Kick4Life as you know.
They taught me different styles and I am the player I am today because of them. At LMPS it’s about delivering on the pitch now, people expect me to deliver,” he continues.
Staying that long on the side-lines can take a mental toll on any player and for Kamela it was no different. He says the most difficult period of his recovery was watching his team play and struggle to get results, knowing there is nothing he could do to help.
His elder brother Jerry Kamela, a Lesotho international who also has had his fair share of injuries, and his family gave him much-needed support. If it was not for them backing him to make a comeback, it would have been easy for Kamela to wallow in his sorrows.
Instead, he became motivated to make a full recovery, and he enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. “It’s the first time in my career that I have so many goals, I think I have grown a lot.
Being in the LMPS team has removed any complacency and has brought the best out of me because we have to compete for places,” Kamela says. “There are players that can play in your position,” he adds.
“You know we have guys like Tšoarelo Mokoaleli, Relebohile Thulo and many more, there is so much talent. You are competing against the best and when you do that you grow. The team becomes better and you become the best because of competition,” he said.
Before debuting for LMPS, Kamela went for the Special Operations Unit (SOU) training and he says it is one of the things that helped him stay fit and in the right physical shape all season.
Kamela says he was surprised this season by his ability to play positions he never played before. He is more of a creator, a player you look to for a killer pass or an assist, but he has also been sound defensively which is impressive.
“I was surprised, even people that have known me for a long time were asking where do you play? I have played defensive, right wing back, full back.
These are positions I didn’t play before, because of the fitness I could attack and defend. I think that training also helped with fatigue and I am happy that I can play multiple positions,” he says.
Although scoring goals is every player’s desire when on the pitch, Kamela says for him it is also about helping his teammates, whether that is by assisting a goal, or making a pass that starts a movement for a goal.
Kamela says he is happy even if he does not score himself. “I am happy to contribute, I have more assists this season I am not sure but when I don’t score I am happy to assist.
I don’t think Monyatheli (Ntobo) has scored 12 goals before, I am not sure he has done that before but he did this season which means us the midfielders did our job,” the playmaker says.
“Of course, you hope to do more, it doesn’t matter the conditions, teams, or coaches. Every player wants to improve,” he says.
LMPS finished fourth on the table ahead of the likes of Matlama, Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) and Lioli. Kamela believes they can improve on their position next season.
Why not aim for the title? He asks. LMPS are known for a physical game, but Kamela believes they got into the top four because they let go of physicality and did the basics at a high level.
“In the first round I think we were physical, we were not conceding goals, I think we went 10 games without conceding but we were not winning either, we were drawing games,” Kamela recalls.
“In the second round we did more basics and in the 15 games we played we lost only three, drew none and won 12.Yes, we conceded a few (goals) but we won,” he says. There is something different about this crop of players at LMPS as well. Kamela says it is a group of talented players who love football.
Perhaps the past LMPS rosters had more talent but the current crop love what they do and it is shown by their position on the log. “Playing for LMPS has made me grow, given me character and that fighting spirit,” Kamela beams.
“The new crop of players coming up should dedicate themselves to the game and love it. Life is not easy. ” Now that the season is over, Kamela is playing football socially whenever he can. He says he is trying to avoid contact as much as possible, but is also working on strengthening his knee.
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