It’s now official. The inaugural Mpumalanga Premier’s International Tournament will take place at the trusted Mbombela Stadium on Saturday July 20.
This much-anticipated tourney will see the hosts, TS Galaxy, the DStv Premiership campaigners, taking on the Kingdom of eSwatini Premiership side Mbabane Swallows FC, while the Bundesliga side FC Augsburg take on Young Africans SC that same day. Then, a week later, Galaxy get to host FC Augsburg.
A brainchild of TS Galaxy’s boss, Tim Sukazi, this first-of-its-kind tourney is set to be an annual soccer event, which will feature a number of teams from both domestic and international leagues during the off-season period.
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Speaking to the media about this tournament during a recent press conference held at the Mbombela Stadium, both Sukazi and FC Augsburg’s CEO, Michael Stroll, said their union is about more than just football, it’s about establishing new relationships that will benefit the province beyond this soccer competition.
“This tournament is not just about soccer, but more about bringing together different cultures. Besides football, the Germans are huge in water reticulation systems, and this is one area in which we could learn from them,” said Sukazi.
Galaxy have seen some tremendous growth in terms of their support base and level of football since they became part of the Premiership. They just had one of their best seasons ever after finishing on the sixth spot on the Premiership table.
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Supporting this tournament are the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) and the Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation. The MTPA board’s chairperson, Victor Mashego, said hosting such an international tournament will definitely come with huge perks and spin-offs for the province.
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