Rebels FC and Future Kasi Stars crowned Friendship Cup champs

Rebels Football Club and Future Kasi Stars were crowned the winners of the Friendship Cup, at Brown’s Farm sports ground, on Monday, June 17.

In commemoration of Youth Day, Joburg Strikers, from the Greater-Philippi Local Football Association, in partnership with the Sisa Mbekeni Foundation, hosted the under-10 and under-14 tournament, over the long weekend, in Philippi and at the Gugulethu sports complex.

Coach at Future Kasi Stars, Aphiwe Matumba, from Gugulethu, said they were grateful to have participated in the second instalment of the Friendship Cup – topping it off by winning the under-14 section.

“It was a great experience being here. The organisers and the referees treated us well. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate,” he said.

Matumba also acknowledged his players, in particular Inam Jameni who scored a brace on the way to the final. Future Kasi Stars won 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw against Hantu from Philippi East in the final.

President of the Greater Philippi LFA and chairman at Cape Town Falcons, Dumile Simoki said the tournament played a crucial role in bringing together children from Philippi and neighbouring communities, including Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein, Delft and Mfuleni, during the schools holiday.

Simoki went on to stress about the importance of such tournaments and LFAs, highlighting the recent success of Dangerous Heroes, from Philippi, who reached the final of the women’s edition of the Engen Knockout Challenge last week.

“We are trying as Philippi. We are playing a big part to reduce all of the social ills even though sometimes it feels like a losing battle, but sport plays a huge role,” he said.

From the 30 teams that participated in the tournament, one of the happy coaches was Zukisa Qolo, from Makhaza. He said it was Codesa FC’s first time participating in the Youth Day tournament.

“The future is here, on the field. Even if you don’t make it as a footballer, you get to make friends, a network and a healthy community,” said Qolo.

Under-10 player, Lunathi Putumani was causing havoc for Rebels, scoring deadly goals in their seven-a-side format. Rebels beat Langa’s United Brothers 3-0 in the final.

Tournament director and talent scout, Siyabonga Ndlebe said the initial aim of the tournament is to select 20 to 22 players, rough diamonds from the communities, to tour the country, and to also build a database that will guide and follow their footballing career.

“Without all of the stakeholders, we would not be able to pull this tournament through. There is a lot of talent, some of the youngsters are younger than 10. If we can scout them now and guide them, they can go very far,” said Ndlebe