Africa-Press – Lesotho. Lesotho football legend Thabane Sutu added his voice to the ongoing debate on Likuena goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane’s potential move to South Africa as well as Boitumelo ‘Queen’ Rabale’s successes on the continent with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Sutu is one of the most decorated football players having been signed by Egyptian giants Al Ahly, in the early 1990s after impressing the club while playing for now defunct Arsenal in the CAF Inter club competitions.
After retiring, Sutu moved to the United States where he served several clubs such as MLS side and Orlando City as a goalkeeper coach, working with big names such as former Portugal and Manchester United winger Nani.
“I have been following our football closely as you mentioned and its thanks to livestream from FIFA, I’ve been able to watch almost all of our COSAFA games and I watched both games against Nigeria (what a great result that was) and Benin.
I’ve also been in constant contact with coach, Leslie Notši. He’s a very good friend of mine,” he said. “The first time I watched Moerane was against Cote d’Ivoire last year.
I remember sending you a note about him and his performance in that game. He’s got immense potential. He’s athletic (not necessarily imposing physically, but he’s got presence), he’s quick, he’s got fantastic agility, his distribution, different method, is top drawer.
“He’s got the nous too. Perhaps his greatest attribute is his temperament.
He’s even keeled! That’s so important in goalkeeping. I remember his penalty save heroics during the COSAFA tournament. Often goalkeepers will go crazy if they save a penalty kick. He saved three in a row, and he was ice cold after each save. Supreme levels of concentration and emotional control. ”
Sutu said he is not surprised that Sekhoane is reported to be on the wanted list of big South African clubs and believes the LMPS goalkeeper is ready for a big challenge outside the borders of Lesotho.
“I’m not surprised to hear that the big guns are after his services. It was a matter of time.
When the big teams come knocking then he’s got to listen and if the offer makes financial and career sense then he’s got to go, if not now, then when?
“Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime and he has to take them.
When I signed for Al Ahly, I knew what I was getting myself into. Did I play as much as I would’ve liked? No. But the lessons I learnt from my time there were invaluable. I played with some of the greatest players in African football history Hossam Hassan, Ibrahim Hassan, Ahmed Shobeir.
“The sheer size of the football club, the pressure, expectations, winning mentality are some of the qualities I picked up during my time there and they’ve stood me in good stead in my coaching career.
“If he has a chance to sign for one of the big South African teams then he has to go. It’s hard to compare him to the goalkeepers we had in the past. The game has changed drastically since I played for instance.
There’s more emphasis on goalkeepers being good with their feet (I was a decent infield player and, scored some goals for Arsenal back in the day), goalies are more involved in the build-up.
When I played most goalkeepers didn’t even take their goal kicks. “So, from a performance standpoint I think he’s more complete than the goalies we had back then.
But from a pure shot stopping ability, we had an edge over him. The late Isaiah Phakisi, Tšeliso Thite and Retšelisitsoe Khetsi (and many others I didn’t mention) were supreme shot-stoppers,” he said.
Sutu, who was in goals as Likuena stunned Cameroon with a 2-0 victory at the old Setsoto Stadium in 1992, joined the football fraternity in celebrating Rabale’s successes and stated that she ranks among the best footballers to have played the game in the country.
“I have known about “Queen” for a long time, I remember talking to Meleshoane “Lash” Mokhathi about her a few years ago.
I submitted her name to several colleges here but at the time she already played for Celtics Ladies and NCAA rules prohibited her from playing collegiately here,” Sutu said.
“NAIA have different set of rules though, she’s a terrific player, she’s got a wand of a left foot. She is one of the most decorated players, if not the one, to ever come out of Lesotho. There aren’t too many players, men, or women, who’ve won the CAF champions league even once in their lifetimes.”
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