Alex schools could soon play continental football

The soccer loving schools in Alexandra could soon find themselves playing continental football with their peers from far and wide in Africa.

South African mining magnate and Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Dr Patrice Motsepe has this vision and has invested US$10 million (about R150 million) for the establishment of a Pan-African Schools Football Championship as part of the grassroots development of the beautiful game on the continent.

Motsepe, the former president of Mamelodi Sundowns which under his leadership has turned out to be one of the most successful clubs in the country, said the schools tournament would help foster a new generation of African youth and development of continental football through schools across the continent.

The Caf Pan-African Schools Football Championship would be an intercontinental school soccer tournament for both boys and girls in a grassroots effort to use the lessons of football to guide growth and development and shape future leaders, Motsepe said.

Like the founding president of democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Motsepe believed football had the power to change the continental narrative from the ground up. “The best investment we can make to ensure that African football is amongst the best in the world and self-sustaining is to invest in schools’ football and youth football development infrastructure for both boys and girls.”

As a renowned business tycoon and philanthropist in Africa, Motsepe, though his Motsepe Foundation, has dug deep into his own pocket before bringing out the begging bowl, said the development of the youth and football in particular was one of his key focus areas as Caf president.

Motsepe said Caf believed football to be an incredible catalyst for change. “Not only does the beautiful game unite the world, but it has the power to educate, inspire and mobilise our youth to overcome their greatest challenges and become agents of change in their countries and communities.”

As an agent of change on the continent, Caf believed schools were a vehicle for integration of not only the continent but African society as a whole. “As our schools prepare our future leaders, a continent-wide tournament will help instill football values like respect, discipline, teamwork and fair play into their hearts and minds,” said Caf general secretary Véron Mosengo-Omba.

Set to kick-off in March next year, the schools championship will begin with a bidding process whereby countries across the continent will bid to be the host country. The tournament will be divided into three levels, starting with its first leg, the National School Football Championship, to be held in June and August next year.

In line with this, each Caf member association will organise a national competition with its school football teams. The finalist teams of the boys and girls national tournaments will then qualify for the zonal tournament.
Each Caf zone will then organise a Zonal School Football Championship to be held between September and December next year.

Finalists in these championships, which will comprise two boys and two girls schools teams, will qualify to participate in the official and ultimate Pan-African School Football Championship to be held in March 2023.