Ghana’s Asante Kotoko pulls out of Future tournament

Four premiership sides’ U17 teams will battle it out for a spot in the Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament which kicks off on 23 March and runs until 28 March at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto.

BidVest Wits, Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Mpumalanga Black Aces, all of whom are based in Johannesburg, will fight for the spot following the withdrawal of top Ghanaian side, Asante Kotoko.

The battle for the spot begins today, 17 March, between the four Gauteng sides at the football training centre from 6pm.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ghana’s Asante Kotoko is not able to fulfill its commitment to participate, thereby opening up a place in the prestigious 12-team competition for a Gauteng premiership side.With the tournament so close already, it has been decided that one of the Gauteng teams that participate in the Premier Soccer League will be given the opportunity to book their place, said Future Champions Gauteng Tournament director, Ray Whelan.

The teams will be paired in a semi-final format, with the winners facing off in a deciding match for a place in the tournament, he added.

“Unfortunately Asante Kotoko cannot make it this year but hopefully they will participate in the next event,” Whelan said.

Four Gauteng sides are already in the tournament, namely Orlando Pirates FC, University of Pretoria, SuperSport United and Jomo Cosmos. They are joined by Italian club Torino, ADO Den Haag from Holland and Sunderland AFC of England, as well as Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro.

There will be three other sides from southern Africa too, namely K-Stars of Zambia, Oryx FC from Namibia and Mozambican club Ferroviario de Maputo, the contingent from which the Ghanaian side pulled out of.

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