LIKUENA FACE FLIGHTS PROBLEMS ENROUTE TO GAMBIA

Lesotho's senior national team Likuena was on Wednesday 09 October,2002  still stuck in Accra, Ghana and could not pass through to Gambia after arriving there on Monday 07 October,2002. Likuena and Gambia are supposed to meet in the African Cup of Nations (ACN) qualifier in Banjul on Sunday 12 October.2002

In an interview, the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) President Mr. Thabo Makakole said the team could not fly to Ghana after being told that they could not satisfy the number of passengers required for the flight to Gambia. "It was reported that the flight could only take around 200 passengers and all in all there were 30 people including 25 Likuena players and officials plus five passengers," he explained.
He stated that the association was trying all it could to address the problem and assured Basotho that the team would definitely be in Gambia before Sunday to honour their ACN qualifier second game.

Mr. Makakole stated that due to this delay in Ghana, immediate arrangements were made between the two associations for Likuena and Black Stars (Ghana) to play an international friendly game on Tuesday evening. He was however still waiting for the results of that game on Wednesady. Likuena had left the country last Friday to Swaziland by bus where they played a barren draw with the home side Isihlangu on Sunday in preparation for the Gambia encounter.

The local boys left Swaziland to Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday where they boarded a flight to Ghana and were supposed to have left Accra for Banjul on Tuesday as they were expected to land in Gambia on Wednesday. In the opening ACN qualifier, Likuena lost by 0-1 to Senegal at home last month.

09 October,2002