Orlando Pirates FC are Champions of the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup

Tshwane, Sunday, 18 March 2012 – The Under-17 side of Orlando Pirates FC have been crowned 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup champions after they defeated the School of Excellence 1-0 in the final at the University of Pretoria’s LC de Villiers Sport Grounds on Sunday.

The young Buccaneers take home the provincial honours, but also a place in the prestigious 2012 Future Champions Gauteng international event along with their fellow semi-finalists on Sunday, Bidvest Wits, School of Excellence and Mohloli High School.

The quartet will compete in the international event alongside eight top junior teams from around the world, including defending champions Clube Atletico Mineiro from Brazil, in the tournament that runs from March 26-31.

After an excellent day of competition in the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup on Saturday, the action continued with yet more stunning football being played.

Pirates topped Group A with two more wins on Sunday as they beat Rosina Sedibane 2-0 in a game carried over from Saturday, and then defeated Jomo Cosmos 2-1 in a pool decider. The excellent Nhlakanipho Ntuli got both goals for Bucs against Ezenkosi as they claimed a full haul of nine points.

Wits were equally dominant in Group B, Yusuf Jappie (two), Tshidiso Monamodi, Sandile Motladile and Thembinkosi Phiri netting as they beat Moroka Swallows 5-1 in the pool decider.

It meant the Clever Boys also took nine points from their three matches, scoring 12 goals in the process, comfortably the most prolific side in the group stages.

The School of Excellence topped Group C with three wins from three, the latest coming on Sunday as they defeated SAFA Metsweding 2-1 with goals from Moses Raphepele and Thabo Lesibe. SAFA Ekurhuleni thumped SAFA Johannesburg 5-0 in the day’s other match, Bonakele Radebe netting a hat-trick for them.

Mohloli High School, qualifiers through the Future Champions Schools Cup tournament, topped Group D with a 3-0 win over SAFA Tshwane in the pool decider. Soethe Kholumo, Nicolas Motloung and Mbuyiselo Molotjoa got their goals.

Sibusiso Tshabalala remarkably scored all four goals for SAFA Sedibeng as they beat SAFA West Rand 4-1 in Group D, a result that meant they finished third in the pool.

Pirates defeated Wits 1-0 in their closely-fought semi-final, Siyanda Nqcobo getting the only goal of the game, while School of Excellence edged past Mohloli High School 2-1. Aubrey Modiba and Mduduzi Sibeko scored for the victors, while Kholumo was on target for Mohloli.

The final was another tight game, but eventually Goodwill Monyebodi got the only goal of the game for Pirates to claim the crown.

The tournament was organized in conjunction with SAFA Gauteng, who managed the technical aspects of the competition.

GROUP A
Results
Jomo Cosmos 2 Rosina Sedibane 0
Orlando Pirates 1 Supersport United 0
Supersport United 0 Jomo Cosmos 0
Rosina Sedibane 0 Orlando Pirates 2
Supersport United 5 Rosina Sedibane 0
Orlando Pirates 2 Jomo Cosmos 1

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
Orlando Pirates 3 3 0 0 5 1 9
Supersport United 3 1 1 1 5 1 4
Jomo Cosmos 3 1 1 1 3 2 4
Rosina Sedibane 3 0 0 3 0 7 0

GROUP B
Results
Bidvest Wits 4 Mamelodi Sundowns 2
Moroka Swallows 2 Kaizer Chiefs 0
Bidvest Wits 3 Kaizer Chiefs 0
Mamelodi Sundowns 2 Moroka Swallows 2
Kaizer Chiefs 1 Mamelodi Sundowns 2
Moroka Swallows 1 Bidvest Wits 5

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
Bidvest Wits 3 3 0 0 12 3 9
Mamelodi Sundowns 3 1 1 1 6 7 4
Moroka Swallows 3 1 1 1 5 7 4
Kaizer Chiefs 3 0 0 3 1 7 0

GROUP C
Results
SAFA Johannesburg 3 SAFA Motsweding 3
School of Excellence 1 SAFA Ekurhuleni 0
School of Excellence 3 SAFA Johannesburg 2
SAFA Motsweding 1 SAFA Ekurhuleni 2
School of Excellence 2 SAFA Motsweding 1
SAFA Ekurhuleni 5 SAFA Johannesburg 0

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
School of Excellence 3 3 0 0 6 3 9
SAFA Ekurhuleni 3 2 0 1 7 2 6
SAFA Motsweding 3 0 1 2 5 7 1
SAFA Johannesburg 3 0 1 2 5 11 1

GROUP D
Results
SAFA West Rand 1 SAFA Tshwane 5
SAFA Sedibeng 1 Mohloli High School 1
Mohloli High School 5 SAFA West Rand 1
SAFA Tshwane 3 SAFA Sedibeng 2

Fixtures – Sunday
Mohloli High School 3 SAFA Tshwane 0
SAFA Sedibeng 4 SAFA West Rand 1

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
Mohloli High School 3 2 1 0 9 2 7
SAFA Tshwane 3 2 0 1 8 6 6
SAFA Sedibeng 3 1 1 1 7 5 4
SAFA West Rand 3 0 0 3 3 14 0

SEMI-FINALS
Orlando Pirates 1 (Siyanda Nqcobo) Bidvest Wits 0
School of Excellence 2 (Aubrey Modiba, Mduduzi Sibeko) Mohloli High School 1 (Soethe Kholumo)

FINAL
Orlando Pirates 1 (Goodwill Monyebodi) School of Excellence 0

  • We had a wonderful football and cultural experience in Gauteng. The tournament and activities were very well organized and we found everyone involved extremely helpful and accommodating. We have all returned home with fantastic memories of our time in South Africa, both on and off the pitch, and have made many new friends as a result of the trip. I hope that we are invited to participate in future tournaments.

    Everton Academy Head Coach

  • The experience both on and off the field for our players during the Future Champions tournament in Gauteng was life-enriching for all those who participated. We were privileged enough to win this edition but what will be bringing us back in future is the cross-cultural education our players receive from spending time with athletes from all over the world. They are human beings before they are football players and enriching them with other cultures is as rewarding as the experience they receive on the field.

    Club Tijuana Director of Football

  • After twenty years of experiencing tournaments around the globe, Future Champions is hands down the best organized, well run International Tournament we have ever participated in. Bringing teams from dozens of different countries provided our boys exposure to cultural diversity they only read about in textbooks. It’s amazing how sport can be the cultural link that provides the opportunity to interact with each other and discover that our global community is a bit smaller than they realized. We had a football and cultural experience that will be cherished for the rest of our lives.

    Director of USYSA Select

  • For us to compete in Future Champions is much more than playing a series of matches. It is an opportunity to compete and contrast our level against the best teams from around the world and the possibility of living in another culture and environment for an unforgettable week, learning about the history of the fight for human rights.

    Director of Aspire Academy

  • The addition of a girls’ competition this year is a natural expansion for what has become a hugely popular event. Over and above the football, the players are also exposed to life-skills courses and HIV/AIDS awareness that could end up saving their lives in the future. We have had an amazing partnership with the Gauteng Province over the last decade and we thank each and every stakeholder for making the Future Champions Gauteng campaign such a huge success

    Tournament director