Africa-Press – Lesotho. Linare players resumed training yesterday afternoon after boycotting training sessions last week because of money disputes with the club’s management. The players were aggrieved that M200 was deducted from their monthly wages without any prior notice or explanation.
The players had a meeting with the management last week where they were told that the deductions were for towels that went missing at a hotel they were staying in when the club travelled to Botswana in August.
One player, who spoke to thepost on condition of anonymity, said they noticed the deduction when they received their wages and had no idea why that had been done.
The player said while Linare were in Botswana for a preseason tournament, towels allegedly went missing at the hotel they were staying in and the finger was pointed at the players.
The player said towels went missing from certain rooms where some players were staying, but the deduction of wages applied to the whole team including the technical team. The player pleaded innocence to the towel theft and felt it was unfair that the whole team was punished for the mistakes of a few people.
“We have had meetings with the management before and they never mentioned missing towels and that money would be deducted, we just saw deductions and when we enquired why (that had happened) we were told about the theft that happened in Botswana.
The towels went missing in other rooms, but all of us have been punished,” the player said. “We boycotted training but we have been ordered to report for training on Wednesday, so I guess our issue will not be resolved,” he said.
Speaking to thepost this week, Linare spokesperson Bokang Phasumane confirmed that there was a meeting between the management and the players. He said an agreement was reached between the two parties which is why the players will resume training, but he did not go into further details.
Phasumane confirmed that the players boycotted training in protest over the deductions but said the matter is now in the past. It is unclear how many towels were stolen and the value of the towels. Linare travelled to Botswana as guests in August to play in a pre-season tournament also featuring Gaborone United, VTM FC and Mochudi Centre Chiefs.
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