The Lesotho Football Association (LFA) have confirmed they will officially end the 2019/20 season on July 31, with no further matches played since the campaign was brought to a halt in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It means runaway league leaders Bantu FC have been crowned champions, a deserved victory after they had built up a 16-point lead at the top of the table over second-placed Matlama.

Bantu will therefore represent Lesotho in the 2020/21 CAF Champions League competition, while LDF Ladies FC are declared as the winners of the Women Super League.

The LFA have confirmed that all league placings remain as they were at the time of the pause, but have confirmed that there will no relegation and that next year’s top-flight will feature 16 teams.

This is after Manonyane FC (Southern Stream) and CCX FC (Northern Stream) were promoted as they lead the two second-tier divisions at the time of the halt to the campaign.

“The log standings of the Premier League, A Division and Women Super League be confirmed as final as at the date of the suspension of the leagues by the Lesotho Football Association,” LFA said in a statement.

“There will be no relegation in the Premier League, A Division and Women Super League of the current season, but the two teams in the A Division will be promoted to the Premier League and two from the B Division will be promoted.

“As of the 2020/2021 until any other decision is to be taken, the Premier League shall have sixteen teams with two teams from the A- Division being promoted. That at the end of the 2020/2021 season, there will be two teams that will be relegated.”

The LFA also said they had set a “tentative” date of September 1 for the start of the new campaign, though stressed this was subject to the “government of Lesotho giving the greenlight for sport to be practiced given the Covid-19 pandemic”.