‘Socca Dream’ of championship of the Kasi Top 8 tourney fulfilled

In one of the liveliest finals of the tournament ‘Socca Dream’ blasted their way to the championship trophy of the inaugural ANLFA Kasi Top 8 final played at the Alexandra Stadium on September 18.

A slick Socca Dream FC beat a rejuvenated and spirited Akeric Football Institution 3-2 in the final of the tournament.
The playoff, which started at the quarterfinal level, culminated in the winning team claiming the prize money that was donated to the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association (ANLFA) by its chairperson Joe Seanego.

Seanego donated a total of R12 000 towards the prize money for the competition which was divided into three categories. The first prize of R7 000 went to the victors while R3 000 went to runners up. The ANLFA Club chairpersons were then divided into two groups and competed against each other for the remaining R2 000.

The final of the tournament was played on September 18 but was then stopped 10 minutes short of completion due to visibility issues on the pitch as the floodlights could not be turned on due to load-shedding.

ALSO READ: Champions League football comes to Alex

After a heated caucus, it was agreed that the outstanding 10 minutes of the game would be played on September 20 at 17:00 at the same venue with the same officiating team as well. But on the day, there were further delays as one team failed to bring player registration cards while the other was three players short.

The three players finally arrived 30 minutes after the kick-off time. Seanego told the warring parties, for the sake of the players and in the interest of finishing the game, to go ahead and play under protest.

ALSO READ: Alexandra Northrand Local Football AssociationYear-End final rescheduled

He asked that if the teams were still unhappy at the end of the 10 minutes, both parties could lodge their protests to the LFA Disciplinary Committee and the matter can then be taken forward from there. “I am going to order that whoever wins, is awarded the trophy and prizemoney but that if the DC rules the other way, we will have to withdraw the trophy and prizemoney and give it to the winner of the DC ruling,” Seanego said, and the match finally kicked off.

When the referee stopped play on September 18, Socca Dream FC was leading Akeric 3-2, with the opening goal scored by Chuma Qinga while the others came from Thabelo Dubadzi and their Number 11 substitute who was not allocated a number on the team sheet. Those of Akeric came from Philipo Galela and Kgothatso Khalo, with the last being a beautifully struck spot kick after the reference awarded the side a penalty.

When the teams resumed play for the last 10 minutes, Akeric fought hard in search of an equaliser when that opportunity came, they fluffed it when they ballooned what could have brought them back into contention for the R7 000 at stake.

Socca Dream on other hand could have easily doubled their leads as Akeric lived dangerously in the dying minutes of the referee’s optional time, as the ‘dream’ side one stage pilled up the pressure for a cushion goal that never was.

ALSO READ: Afrika Tikkun seeks wider reach of football players in Alex for its child development programmes