Alexandra was not represented this year at the Danone Nations Cup following the disqualification of the Zenzeleni Primary School team after a shocking age-cheating scandal in last year’s competition.
Zenzeleni, who were doing well in the competition then, had to be disqualified after they were found to have tampered with the registration documents of some of their boys and the organisers had no choice but to expel them from the competition.
Read: Khenza FC crowned champions of Soweto tourney
This was the first time that a school from Alexandra entered the competition and their chances of progressing were promising but the boys were let down by the alleged machinations of their coach, who was later fired by the embarrassed school administration.
In this year’s competition, South Africa will be represented by Western Cape’s Nomlinganiselo Primary School in the world finals of the football tournament, which will be held in Spain next year.
This follows their victory over another Cape school from the Eastern Cape, Charles Morgan Primary School. “Spain, here we come!” was all a delighted school coach Ntokozo Mazwi could say when it sunk in that his boys had actually earned the trip after winning the Danone Nations Cup national finals at Soweto’s Dobsonville Stadium.
“The final match was tough,” said an excited Mazwi. “The game was evenly matched and both of us had our chances, but we all failed to convert. At the end of regulation time, the game was deadlocked at 0–0, leaving it to the lottery of penalties to decide who makes the trip to Spain.
“I knew then that we had the game in the bag as I had a gut feeling that I needed to prepare my goalkeeper for this exact situation,” he added.
In the end, Nomlinganiselo won 4–3 on penalties.
“I am extremely proud of my boys,” Mazwi said, adding, “Especially when one considers that our school has poor soccer facilities and we have limited equipment for training, yet we still managed to beat schools that have much more than us.
“It is a testament to how determined and courageous the team was and also the fact that we should never allow our circumstances to determine our future. Charles Morgan has competed in two other national finals and went into the game as the more experienced school,” Mazwi said.
The team will now start planning for Spain. “I learnt so much in Gauteng. Every team had their strengths in terms of tactics and technical skills that I will implement back home in Cape Town. However, I will keep to my primary focus, which is to prepare the boys emotionally for the [Spain] experience.
Read: Alex football launches new soccer tourney
“I will teach them all about Barcelona, the countries we will be playing against while continuing to build their confidence. Preparations will consist of classroom activities as well as on-field training and plenty of practice matches. We are going to look for support from the local structures to find better training facilities to get the boys used to playing on excellent surfaces,” he added.
The coach is planning on obtaining his Safa Level 1 coaching certificate in March next year. “I believe the Level 1 certificate focuses on coaching children, which will help me prepare them better. Currently, I have no coaching experience and teach according to what I know, which might not necessarily be the best practice.”
