A soccer team from Mtlobomi Combined School, playing barefoot, won the U/14 McDonalds-Sasfa schools tournament at the Nirvana Stadium in Polokwane last Saturday afternoon.

The school from the Mopane district downed their opponents from the Vhembe region 4-3 on penalties on a dusty Nirvana pitch. This after the game ended deadlocked at a goal apiece.

Mtlobomi, who were dubbed the ‘barefoot warriors’ due to the fact that most of their starting 11 played without soccer boots, qualified for the final after ending on top of group B, while their opponents, Wisdom, topped group A to book their place in the showpiece event.

Sasfa Limpopo deputy chairperson Talane Mathabathe expressed the importance of a tournament like the one organised by McDonalds.  “In Limpopo, we make it our goal to identify young talent, and so we would like to thank McDonalds for entering into an agreement to sponsor this type of tournament. It is in tournaments like these where we identify and develop future professionals,” said Mathabathe.  "We want all community members to get behind tournaments like these since they not only expose players' skills on the pitch, but also inspire them and remove them from the streets.”

Mtlobomi coach Masilo Phillip Malematja couldn’t contain his excitement at winning the tournament for the first time.  “It means so much for our school to have won this tournament. This was the first time that Mtlobomi participated in the provisional final and we won it. It is so wonderful for the kids and they are very happy,” said Malematja.  “Tournaments like these take our children off the streets and give them some happiness and inspire them. Who knows now what will happen in the big final? I’m just so happy that we won this tournament, I don’t know what to say.”

Malematja explained that most of the kids have boots to play in, but choose to play barefoot "because they are from a rural area where they are used to playing barefoot, and they feel comfortable playing like that and have taken us this far,” he said.

With the victory, Mtlobomi booked their place in the national finals, which will be held at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton on the weekend of 19-21 September.

Makuya Matswake was named the player of the tournament, while Steven Kampa - who notably stopped two penalties - scooped the goalkeeper of the tournament award. -BackpageTxt