Ambassadors FC win Philly’s Games on penalties

Ambassadors FC registered their name on the Philly’s Games history books as they claimed a 3-0 victory on penalties to be crowned champions.

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This tournament has cemented its legacy as the biggest and longest-running local football tournament in the history of this country as it successfully hosted its 30th-anniversary tournament and this year the stakes could have not been higher.

The Ambassadors went head to head against Soweto Giants the 18 Mambas. The two rivals came to the final with a lot expected of their players.

18 Mambas had the likes of Tshepo “Skhwama Sama Tariyana” Matete and Xolani “BlackBerry” Nkala who was facing his former team.

Despite great quality shown from both sides the first half was goalless leaving the fans to expect more goals and spectacular football in the second half. It was the Ambassadors who broke the goals drought on penalty shootouts since the 90 minutes delivered no goals.

18 Mambas missed all their three penalties, creating a chance for Ambassadors to score their third and final goal to clinch the title.

As the celebrations began Cameron Mathebula, COO of Philly’s Games, congratulated both teams for reaching the finals and showcasing their talent.

“Congratulations are for the winning teams in all our divisions as we close our calendar.”

He added that the Philly”s Games applaud the undiscovered talent that was brought forward to the tournament.

“I’m certain the boys have caught the attention of some of the scouts. They have put our tournament on fire.

“What we hope to achieve is to have more young people play in the highest levels of football in the country,” explained Mathebula.

Coach of the winning team Katlego Maphakola congratulated his boys and thanked the fans for showing support. He said the journey to winning the tournament has been amazing but never easy since the 18 Mambas proved to be tough.

“The finals were never to be taken lightly, it was going expected to be a tough match indeed but we had come prepared for anything. We knew that if we were to go to the penalties we were going to win it because our boys have experience in such a situation,” said Maphakola.

“We had to plan thoroughly and we watched a lot of their games before the final to prepare. We understood that they are not the kind of opponents to be given too much freedom with the ball because they are good at using the spaces to create goal-scoring chances.

“We are currently in position four on the SAB League, three points behind the log leaders. Our main goal is now to clinch that championship,” added the coach.

Speaking to the chairman of the club, Eugene Mbatha said they couldn’t have been more proud of the players, club and the fans showing support.

He said that their main goal has always been to develop unknown talent.

“Speaking of talent, we are proud to say we have teams from the PSL and NFD, now the GladAfrican Championship, knocking at our doors.

“The tournament was a great platform for players to showcase their talents but it was also a great platform for scouts to see what is on offer. We have players lined up for the taking, though that is a good transition it also opens up a gap in the current squad.

“The team was started in 2017, and since then we have won the Ethafeni Easter Games, twice in a row, with the third year losing in the semi-finals. We have also won the Powerico tournament,” said Mbatha.

The Ambassadors were awarded R210 000 in cash prizes and gold medals. The money would be used for the benefits of the team going forward.

The Miss Philly’s Games 2022 queen Itumeleng Phasha said it has been amazing being part of the tournament and besides all odds, the games have always succeeded despite challenges.

“A huge thanks to all the sponsors of the Philly’s Games. The finals were hard because the two teams showed the hunger and desire to win. They brought their A-game, yet as with every competition, there is only one winner,” said Phasha.

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