Wits U-17 lads miss global soccer glory
22 March 2016
It was a case of so near and yet so far for Bidvest Wits’ Under-17 soccer team at the weekend.
The young lads from Milpark became the first South African team to reach the final of the star-studded Future Champions International tournament after edging out Mexican side Tijuana on Friday, only to fall at the last hurdle when they were overcome 2-1 by Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish giants – who have now won the eight-year-old tournament a record four times – were the same team that accounted for Orlando Pirates’ semifinal exit on Friday.
The week-long tournament, played at the Nike Centre in Klipspruit, Soweto, was organised by Global Sports International in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government, South African Football Association (SAFA) and the City of Johannesburg. Though Bidvest Wits lost, the local soccer fraternity was generally impressed about the growing stature of local football. Bidvest Wits had a golden opportunity to claim gold when Atletico Madrid had a player sent off midway through the second half but poor shooting and indecisiveness in front of goal were their undoing.
Bidvest Wits coach Dillon Sheppard was, however, all praise for his charges and said the future boded well for them.
“To reach the final in such a star-studded tournament is victory in itself for us. We can only improve from here. Watch this space,” he said.
Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba was equally impressed, saying there should be more of such tournaments and urged corporate South Africa to come to the party.
“We’ve a lot of talent in this country, it just needs to be unearthed and developed. This was a wonderful tournament and a boost to our soccer,” he said.
Sharing Mashaba’s sentiments was Pirates coach Augusto Palacios, who said his charges learnt a lot from featuring in the tournament.
“We can only get better from here,” he said.
Former Moroka Swallows winger Finky Sekete was one of the soccer veterans who attended the games.
“My generation was robbed of the opportunity to play international football. We can only wonder what it could have been had our democracy arrived a bit earlier, in the 1970s or 1980s,” he said.
“We built a foundation for our youth. With the status quo so much in their favour, they must take the opportunities available. It’s really up to them to set the world alight.”
Also in attendance were former Wits and Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Stanton Fredericks, former Wits defender Matthew Booth, and SAFA director of coaching and former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs captain Neil Tovey. Another coach at the games was Kenny Ndlazi, who said: “Our football is definitely going to benefit from such international tournaments.”
There was camaraderie throughout the week, with scores of learners from schools around Klipspruit forming part of the cheering crowds. On Wednesday, they were joined by learners from the Adelaide Tambo School for the Disabled in White City Jabavu, Soweto.
Gauteng Director of School Sports Cedric Ranchor said of the disabled learners: “We often forget they are part of us. They are no different from the other schoolchildren from [mainstream] schools. We need not discriminate against them,” he said.