Premier League clubs battle for Matšoele’s signature

Leemisa Thuseho

TOP Vodacom Premier League (VPL) clubs are locked in a battle to secure the signature of experienced midfielder Thabo Matšoele, the Lesotho Times has learnt.

Lifofane, LMPS and LCS are said to have all expressed interest in signing the midfielder, who became a free agent after being released by Linare as part of the club’s major squad overhaul ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Matšoele spent two seasons with Tse Tala after joining the club in 2024 following the termination of his contract with Bantu.

The Lesotho Times has established that Lifofane have already opened talks with the player over a possible move to Butha-Buthe.

Following an impressive 2025/26 campaign in which they finished second behind champions Lijabatho, Lifofane are determined to remain among the league’s top contenders. Their ambition has already been reflected in an active recruitment drive.

The club has already signed South African attacking midfielder Tumelo Njoti, who previously played for Bloemfontein Celtic, Maritzburg United and Uganda’s Magezi FC. They have also secured the services of former Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu defender Khotso Moleko.

Lifofane’s remarkable progress last season was recognised when they won the VPL’s Most Improved Team award.

LMPS have also entered the race for Matšoele as they look to reinforce their squad after finishing 10th in the league last season.

“At the moment, the two teams leading the race for the player’s signature are LMPS and Lifofane,” a source told the Lesotho Times.

“LCS have also reached out.”

Contacted for comment yesterday, Lifofane Communications and Marketing Manager, Teboho Ntoane, would neither confirm nor deny the reports, saying the club would only announce new signings once all the necessary processes had been finalised.

“Like every other team, we are busy strengthening our squad, but we will only confirm our signings once the deals are complete,” Ntoane told the Lesotho Times.

Efforts to obtain comment from LMPS and LCS were unsuccessful by the time of publication.

Matšoele is regarded as one of the most experienced and well-travelled players in the domestic league, having represented Matlama, Liphakoe, Bantu and Linare, among other top-flight clubs.

He has also been a regular member of the senior national team, Likuena.

The midfielder is currently part of the 26-man locally based Likuena squad that began a non-residential training camp on 3 July under coach Bob Mafoso in preparation for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Lesotho has been drawn in Group A alongside continental heavyweights Morocco, Gabon and Niger.

The 2027 AFCON finals will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027, with Lesotho hoping to qualify for the tournament for the first time in the country’s history.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has scheduled the qualifiers across three FIFA international windows. The opening round of matches will be played between 21 September and 6 October 2026, followed by the second window from 9 to 17 November 2026. The final round of qualifiers will take place between 22 and 30 March 2027.

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