In spite of assuring local soccer lovers earlier this week that the finals of the Nwali Soccer Tournament will take place at the Khubvi Benjie Sport Grounds this weekend, it was postponed yet again.
The announcement that the tournament needs to be postponed again was made early on Friday morning. This would be the third time that the tournament had to be postponed to accommodate the completion of SAFA Vhembe promotional play-off matches.
The four teams that have reached the semi-final stage of the Nwali tournament are Berea FC, Tshimuthe FC, Tshivhazwaulu Peace Makers, and Mukula Young Santos. Mukula Young Santos, however, is tied up in the provincial play-off matches for promotion to the ABC Motsepe League. The team will face the four other regional winners during the SAFA Limpopo Inter-Regional Promotional Play-offs to be staged at Nkowakowa Stadium this weekend.
The Nwali Soccer Tournament Committee together with SAFA Vhembe representative issued a press release early on Friday in which they apologize for the disruptions the postponement had caused.
"During the meeting, which was also attended by the four participating teams … yesterday, it became evident that the postponement of the finals was beyond everyone's control. After lengthy deliberation on the matter, the meeting unanimously agreed to reschedule the semi-finals and finals on Saturday, 5 August 2023, and on Sunday, 6 August 2023 respectively," the statement reads.
In the statement, the organizing parties said it was decided to "sincerely apologize to the teams, soccer-loving people, fans, and supporters for the inconvenience the postponement might have caused. SAFA Vhembe and Nwali Soccer Tournament Committee wish Mukula Young Santos well in SAFA Limpopo Promotional Play-offs. "We are very confident that Santos will do us proud by gaining promotion to the elite league," they said.