Muswodi-Dipeni businessman and farmer Alpheus Musinyali has increased the prizes for winners of his Maanea Soccer Tournament, which aims to promote sport and keep young people away from crime in rural communities. Musinyali plans to make the tournament a monthly event to provide a safe and engaging weekend activity for locals.
Tshikhudini United FC from Folovhodwe village, an affiliate of the Musina Local Football Association (MLFA), won the second Maanea Soccer Tournament, beating Lwathudwa Black Movers 1-0 at the Maanea sports ground on Sunday, 31 August. The team received R10,000 and a trophy.
Tournament organiser Joe Manenzhe said 16 teams from the Niani area had participated, with hundreds of community members attending. The runners-up, Makavhini Black Movers, won R5,000, while teams finishing third and fourth received R1,500 each, and teams in fifth to eighth place got R500. Tshikhudini United goalkeeper and captain Walter Ndou, also known as Malamba, was awarded a trophy for Man of the Match.
Musinyali said the tournament was one of his proudest achievements. "I used to see young people loitering and abusing alcohol, but during the soccer tournament they are kept busy and focused," he said.