A soccer legend honoured in a sport he mastered
The Soweto side took an early lead and scored the game’s first goal and the first of the day. Wattville came from behind to win 2-1, booking their place in the finals.
Duduza – Soccer legend Innocent ‘Ayoba-Yo’ Mayoyo was honoured for his contribution to and leadership in SA football by iDiskie nine-nine and the Jobe Foundation on Saturday at the Duduza Stadium.
The one-day soccer extravaganza started with a game between Watville United and Zwide ka Langa from Soweto.
The Soweto side took an early lead and scored the game’s first goal and the first of the day. Wattville came from behind to win 2-1, booking their place in the finals.
The second game saw Jobe XI take on Jomo Cosmos’ first team. The game was hard-fought and went to halftime at 0-all.
At halftime, Cosmos coach Jomo Sono said, “I felt honoured being invited to play on this day by a friend and business partner, Jobe.
“Though Jobe’s boys are doing well, I must win this game and the tournament. I won’t sleep for a week should I lose to Jobe – dark or blue, I have to win.”
During the second half, Cosmos scored, and that winning goal placed Ezenkosi in the finals against Watville United.
Jobe XI coach Lebohang Lebese said, “Technically, we played well. However, Ezenkosi was physically dominant. This is a new team and hardly a month old, but we played well.”
He said the team comprised young boys from various teams in Duduza, with the oldest being 20.
“This will now be our Duduza squad, which I call the Duduza National Team. We are giving the boys a chance to shine. Who knows, Jomo might select players from the boys,” he concluded.
There was also a curtain-raiser between Jomo Cosmos’ legends and Kaizer Chiefs’ development legends to honour their fellow legend and entertain the crowd.
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Ayoba-yo greeted his fellow legends before the game and thanked them for participating. Mayoyo showed his skills on the field when he passed the ball, which pleased the crowd.
Amazokozoko also went to the stadium as fans. When playing the drum and singing, they chanted ‘uMayoyo siyamazi futhi siyamthanda’ (We know Mayoyo, and we love him), which melted Ayoba-yo’s heart.
The game between the legends ended in a 1-all draw, with Kaizer Chiefs scoring first. After the legends’ game, Mayoyo’s Ace Auto Ayoba junior players took on Duduza’s Clever Boys and won 2-0.
The final game between Watville United and Jomo Cosmos was intense. It ended in a one-all draw and went to penalties, where Ezenkosi beat Watville 5-4.
The man of the moment said, “This was a remarkable day for me. I felt appreciated.
“It doesn’t happen often that a person is appreciated and shown love while still alive.”
Mayoyo said this event all started with someone’s thought, which he appreciated.
“There are even different categories playing, from the juniors to the legends, which is great. To the Jobe Foundation, I say, ‘It doesn’t come bigger than this, and I am grateful’,” he said.
“The attendance humbled me. Amazokozoko came from Kwa-Thema even when they were not on the line-up to play. That shows love.
“I am grateful to my family for their support because they also came with me today. The community of Kwatsaduza, your support doesn’t go unnoticed, and also African Reporter for always being there to tell our stories. I am truly grateful,” Ayoba said.
He said it showed that the extravaganza wasn’t a profit-making scheme and was done out of love because there was no cover charge.
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