Alex youngsters showcase their brilliance at Mr Ref Street Soccer Tournament

Young soccer stars in Alexandra came together on London Road to show off their slick skills, rhythm, and unique showboating styles for a Three vs Three Mr. Ref Street Soccer tournament.

The tournament was hosted by Happy Nhlahla who officiates in the DStv Premiership.
Sixteen Alex-based teams took part in knockout fixtures in which the winning team received a prize of R2 000 and the runner-up received R700.

Since the games were only 10 minutes long, each team came prepared with strategies on how they were going to beat the clock as the road served as a pitch and the walls and fences as the stadium.

A thrilling goalless draw in the final resulted in a 1–0 victory on penalties for Mighty Solutions over Minnie and Friends. Nhlanhla said he hosted the tournament to give skillful kids an opportunity to display their ‘Kasi flavour’ skills in a relaxed environment.

Kasi flavour in soccer emphasises individual freedom of expression and a mixture of skills and showboating, encouraging rhythm and style over tactics and physicality.

“In honour of National Women’s Day, I decided to host the tournament on August 9. It was a way for us to celebrate Women’s Day and I am planning to hold other tournaments like this for upcoming holidays.”

Among the fans was Thabang Michael Modiba who said the tournament provided entertainment and left the township streets free of violence.

“For the township, the tournament played a critical role in showing how football unites people.

“Young people were able to express their creativity on the streets because it brought back Kasi flavour,” Modiba concluded.