Tshenzhelani Diitele were crowned the champions of the MS Quality Bilisi Soccer Festival at the Tzhenzhelani grounds in the Niani area last Sunday (16 July).
They beat Sanari FC 3-2 in the final. The winner was determined through penalty shoot-out, following a 1-1 draw at the end of 90 minutes.
Diitele received R3 500, a floating trophy, soccer kit, gold medals, golf shirts and a soccer ball during a ceremony held shortly after the final whistle. The runners-up, Sanari FC, went home with R2 500, silver medals, a soccer ball, golf shirts and silver medals.
The top goal scorer in the tournament, Pfariso Mukoma from Mutele FC, received a cash prize of R200 during the ceremony, while a striker of Diitele, Murangi Masikhwa, received the youngest-player award during the ceremony.
Asa Masikhwa won the 15km fun run for the third time in succession. He was followed by Tjale Mokokoane from the SANDF.
When addressing the crowd during the ceremony, the founder and organizer for the tournament, Mr Richard "Bilisi" Rambiyana, said that he appreciated the manner in which officials and players had conducted themselves throughout the tournament.
He revealed that the tournament will be staged again next year. According to him, both the number of participating teams and the sponsorship amount are expected to increase from time to time.
Seven teams took part in the tournament during its inception in 2011. The number increased to 14 this year.