Tunisian club Esperance will be looking to go one step better than last year and lift the Gauteng Future Champions International under 17 tournament trophy, when this year's event takes place in Soweto from January 25 to 30.
Argentina’s Boca Juniors beat Esperance 2-0 in last year's final, but the African club are ready, willing and able to go all the way in the second edition of this popular youth football tournament which is made possible by the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, South Africa Football Association (SAFA) and event agency Global Sports International.
But the road to success in the week-long tournament is a long one with other international line ups including Botafogo (Brazil), Dublin District Schoolboy League (Ireland), Paris Saint-Germain (France), DC United (USA), Shandong Luneng (China) and clubs from India and Zambia looking to start their 2010 football campaign off on a winning note.
Local representation will be in the form of Supersport United and Kaizer Chiefs, as well as SAFA Tshwane Select and SAFA Johannesburg Select. In November last year, Supersport United were crowned as the Gauteng Under 17 Cup champions after beating Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 in the final, while SAFA Tshwane Select outplayed SAFA Johannesburg Select 2-0 in the Gauteng Under 17 Cup regional final.
Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms Nelisiwe Mbatha-Mtimkulu said, “Gauteng prides itself in being the Gateway to 2010 and in sporting terms the home of champions and while we are delighted to have welcomed Esperance to last year inaugural tournament held in Soweto, we are even more pleased to see them return for another dose of proudly Gauteng hospitality.”
“Should our Gauteng clubs end up not having the honour of lifting the Gauteng Future Champions international under 17 trophy, it would be a privilege to see one of the other teams from Africa being crowned as worthy champions,” added Ms Nelisiwe Mbatha-Mtimkulu.
Esperance club President Hamdi Meddeb remarked, “Esperance's young players are delighted to return to compete in the Gauteng Future Champions international under 17 tournament in Soweto having enjoyed every moment of our stay in Gauteng and South Africa during last year’s event.”
“With our club’s senior team being the champions of the Tunisian League, our players will be looking to raise their game to a level that is worthy of being crowned champions and what better way to start 2010 than by achieving success in South Africa, the country that will host the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the name of Africa.”
Among the attractions that the international teams will visit during their stay, will be the recently upgraded soccer city stadium which will play host to the opening match and grand finale of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The Gauteng Future Champions under 17 tournament will see the 12 teams divided into three groups. After the round-robin matches between the teams in each group have been completed, the top side in each pool plus the best on-points second-placed team from the three pools will contest the semi-finals matches, in a bid to decide which teams will take part in the tournament final on 30 January.
The coaches of the international teams will also get an opportunity to address local coaches from the Gauteng regions, in order to pass on elements of their football coaching knowledge as well as their football experiences, which will play a role in empowering the Gauteng coaches to educate rising talent in the province.
For further information contact:
Nomazwe Ntlokwana
Cell: 083 507 8068
Issued by: Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng Provincial Government
15 January 2010
Source: Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.srac.gpg.gov.za/)
