African Tigers host inaugural Heritage Day Tournament in Springs
African Tigers FC brought together 18 youth football clubs from across Gauteng for their first-ever Heritage Day Tournament in Springs, with the U12 Tigers sealing a 3-1 victory over Hola Skoko.
African Tigers FC hosted their inaugural Heritage Day Tournament on Saturday at Eureka High School, with 18 clubs participating.
The tournament featured U8, U11 and U12 teams from across Gauteng, including Marlboro, Benoni, Lenasia, Springs and Azaadville, playing 20-minute matches.
In one of the games, the U12 African Tigers faced Lenasia club Hola Skoko, with the Tigers claiming a 3-1 victory. Onalenna Maluleke opened the scoring, followed by a well-taken penalty from Sandile Zuma to make it 2-0.
In the final minutes, Mohammed Ashraf netted a third for the Tigers, while Jezade Lemek scored for the opposition.
“Throughout the season, we have come under a lot of pressure and obstacles, but the boys’ fighting spirit, enthusiasm and confidence has helped them get what they need, although I would love for them to start with the high and not end with it,” said Hola Skoko’s head coach, Mohammed Pandor.
He added that limited field time contributes to recovery challenges after conceding goals.
“It’s a fixed time, so if a player gets injured, field time gets taken away. Tournament football is such that you have to go with your strongest squad to ensure a clinical finish,” Pandor said.
The winning team’s coach, Ridwaan Casoojee, attributed the victory to the players’ motivation.
“From the word go, they had so much enthusiasm and energy. They communicated throughout the game, which allowed the match to flow,” he said.
Casoojee added that despite the opposition scoring late, his team maintained control. “The midfielders and wingers played well, and what won us the game was that when they lost the ball, they worked hard to get it back, and we ultimately won,” he said.
African Tigers’ chairperson Imtiaz Chughlay revealed that the event will be hosted annually after this year’s success.
“We hope to do it bigger next time and possibly increase from 18 teams to 56 teams. The referees were fantastic, and the coaches and parents made this event a success.”
He added that the ultimate vision is to grow the club and establish more divisions.
