LIMPOPO – United Masters have been crowned the overall champions of the Mopani Masters Football League after defeating Stream A winners KCE Masters 1–0 in a tightly contested play-off final at Nkowankowa Stadium.

United, who topped Stream B by winning 23 of their 28 league matches, secured their title thanks to a decisive goal from Ocean “Mozayoni” Baloyi.

Baloyi told the Herald that he was excited to score the match-winner.

“I’m thrilled that I was able to score the winning goal. As a striker, my job is to finish, and my teammates put me in the perfect position to do that.  I’m proud of our teamwork and happy that we’ve achieved our goal of becoming champions,” he said.

The match was intense and emotionally charged, with both teams fighting hard for the title.

However, the final whistle brought controversy, as KCE Masters accused the referee of cutting the game short. Despite their frustration, KCE captain Lloyd Mtebule acknowledged his team’s overall performance throughout the season.

“It’s disappointing to lose on the final day after all the hard work we put in. We feel we were the better team in the final, even though the result didn’t go our way,” he said.

Interestingly, United’s team manager, Cooper Rikhotso, agreed that KCE played well, but noted, “What matters most is that we scored, and that makes us the champions.”

For their efforts, United Masters received R30 000 in prize money, while runners-up KCE Masters took home R15,000.

Third-placed Khujwana Masters earned R10,000. All 18 teams in the league received prize money, including bottom-ranked Zoro One Five Masters, who walked away with R2,000.

The Mopani Masters Football League was launched in September last year by founders Moses Mohale and Solly Malatji. Mohale told the Herald that he saw a gap in the region for a master’s league and has been amazed at how quickly it has grown.

Following the final, the league hosted a gala awards ceremony at Tzaneen Country Lodge, honouring standout teams and players.

“I’m happy we had a successful season,” said Mohale. “I’d like to thank all the teams, referees, the organising committee, and sponsors such as Kgoshigadi Construction Engineering and Lerama Security for ensuring our games were safe and well-organised. I’m also grateful to the local community for their ongoing support.”