Musa Chauke, head coach of Ward 21’s men’s soccer happy with their 2-1 victory over Ward 13 from Section F in the Mayor’s Cup tournament on Saturday at Giyani Stadium. Chauke said that they studied their opponent’s previous games and knew exactly how to counter them. “We knew they were strong and that we couldn’t match their style of play, so we devised a winning strategy focussing on defence and sending only two players forward to attack.”

“For the most part, we alternated between a 4-5-1 and a 4-4-2 formation because we didn’t want to leave our defence exposed by sending too many players to the front,” he explained, acknowledging that they were playing against one of the toughest teams in the tournament. His team took home a cash prize of R25 000 plus a soccer kit, while the losing team received R19 100 as well as a soccer kit.”

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“When asked what they plan to do with the prizemoney, Chauke said that it would be used to support the team’s needs. “For us, it’s not so much about money but about the development of young players. If you watched our team play, you would have noticed that all our players were u/21. So, the money will be used to buy team kits and other necessities that contribute to the development of these players,” he said.

Meanwhile, in women’s soccer, the top prize went to Mninginisi Brave Ladies after a 4-2 victory on penalties against Sekhunyane Blue Birds FC. This followed a 3-3 draw between the two teams, which led to a penalty shootout. Mninginisi Brave Ladies eventually took home the top prize of R18 100 plus a soccer kit, while the Blue Birds received R14 100 along with a soccer kit.

Commenting on the victory, Mninginisi Brave Ladies’ coach, Tiyiselani Mdluli, congratulated his team on winning the tournament and mentioned that the prize money would help them buy soccer boots. “Of course, we’ll have a little celebration, but the majority of the funds will go toward acquiring soccer boots for our team,” he said.

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Greater Giyani Mayor Thandi Zitha congratulated all the winners and announced the introduction of additional sporting codes for next year’s Mayor’s Cup. “Our aim as a municipality is to develop sports among the youth while providing entertainment that takes them off the streets. That’s why we’re introducing new sports codes for the Mayor’s Cup next year,” she said. The new sports codes will include tennis, rugby, volleyball, cricket, and golf.