Alex youngsters showcase their brilliance at Mr Ref Street Soccer Tournament
ALEXANDRA – Kasi flavor in soccer emphasises individual freedom of expression.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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“Young people were able to express their creativity on the streets because it brought back Kasi flavour,” Modiba concluded.