McDonald’s Free State School’s Tournament

Retshidisitswe Secondary soccer team from Fezile Dabi district are the champions of the Free State Under-14 McDonalds SASFA Schools tournament.

The school from Fezile Dabi won the tournament after they beat the defending champions HTS Louis Botha Secondary soccer team from Motheo district by 3-0 on penalties in the final of the tournament that took place at the Zuka Baloi stadia in Welkom on Saturday afternoon.

This was after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the final. The victory means Retshidisitswe has obtained a license to represent the Free State province in the national finals, which will be held at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton on the weekend of 19-21 of September.

The two teams advanced to the final stage of the tournament after they finished top of their respective streams. Louis Botha Secondary finished top with six points after they beat Bodikela Junior Primary 1-0 before hammering Samuel Johnson Secondary 3-0, while Retshidisitswe won 3-0 against Concordia Secondary before beating Ikgwantlelle Primary by 4-0.

Sentle Moloi, the Free State SASFA Under-14 McDonald coordinator, said he was happy with the tournament and added that their aim was to develop the young stars. He said this year’s the competition was tough, with all the teams fighting for their life to secure a place in the national finals.

“We want to thank the sponsor for everything and we believe that Retshidisitswe will represent the province well in the national finals,” he said.

Tshokolo Makhubo, head coach said of Retshidisitswe, he was happy that they managed to win the championship on their first appearance. He said the boys played like the real soldiers.

“The final was a tight contest but the boys had showed a character coming from behind. We played against the strong team which had won this last year,” stated the coach.

Makhubo said he would like to thank the teachers and parents who allowed the learners to be part of the tournament. He added that winning the championship was a reward for what they have been doing in their training sessions.

“We were not expecting to win the championship, but that would give us an exposure,” he said.

Mcedisi Ngomba, the Botha mentor, said they played well as a team but lost the final due to their mistakes.

“We score first and failed to secure that, as we conceded a cheap goal in the last minutes. However, the best team won and we would go back to the drawing board and hopefully next season we will win it,” he said.

Awards:

Player of the tournament: Kamohelo Makgwajane (HST Louis Botha Secondary School)

Goalkeeper of the tournament: Mamello Mokoena (Retshidisitswe Primary School)

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