Manamani win MOP Soccer Tournament

The rural village of Dzwerani-Ha-Madala outside Thohoyandou nearly came to a standstill on Saturday when four teams competed in the one-day MOP Soccer Tournament at the local sports grounds.

Manamani City beat Dzwerani United Brothers 2-1 in the final and received R4 000, a trophy, soccer kit and two balls. Ndivhuwo Netsianda, the captain of Manamani City, was over the moon when the referee blew the whistle that declared them the winners of the tournament. “We want to buy soccer boots for our players with the money we won as some of our players wear tattered boots. We practiced hard after the tournament was launched and we can say that it was not easy to emerge as winners,” said Netsianda.

The other two teams that participated in the tournament were Mahematshena Young Stars and Mvelaphanda FC.

During the games, artists such as Shufflers Ragimana, DJ Levels, Mizophyll and 30 Mrepa entertained the people who attended.

The tournament was the brainchild of Mr Mulalo Madzivhandila, the managing director of the MOP Group, a company that manufactures sliding doors, does events management and is based in Thohoyandou.

Madzivhandila said he was born and raised in the village of Dzwerani and after he had established his business, he decided to plough back into his village, empowering young people through playing soccer. He said the tournament was the first of its kind, and he hoped that it can become an annual event during the month of August.

“The games also served to educate the young people about alcohol and drug abuse, as they were kept busy all day of the tournament. When young people are kept busy, less crime will be reported in the communities,” added Madzivhandila.

Sport - Date: 23 August 2019

Silas Nduvheni

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