Youngsters win coveted provincial cup

The team earned the title after defeating the 2013 national champions, Daniye Primary School, by 2-0 in the final at the Mhluzi Stadium in Middelburg this past weekend.

Johannes Kananda will now join eight other provincial winners at the national finals scheduled at the Reiger Park Stadium in Boksburg on June 28.

The coach, Kabu Thebyane, hopes that his school will repeat what Daniye did last year and win the trip to represent South Africa at the world finals. 

“We have prepared long enough for the provincials and winning has always been our first goal,” Thebyane said. “Winning the provincial title is a fantastic achievement for my youngsters, but we still need to prove ourselves in Gauteng against the eight other provinces. We know the competition will be tough, but I believe in my team. What’s important is that they also believe in themselves.”

Thebyane said he was going to call on a few experienced coaches in his area to help with the preparations. “We don’t know what to expect in Gauteng, so we need all the help we can get.”

One of the team’s key players, Siphesihle Masina, said it was his first time competing in this tournament and he has learnt a lot.

“We came to the provincial finals with a goal and we made sure that we achieved it. Last year’s winners, Daniye actually motivated us to do better. They received all the attention and we wanted it for ourselves this time,” said young Masina.

This year’s winners will travel to Brazil.