Despite the bitterly
cold conditions, fans supporting Johannesburg Secondary School came in numbers
to support their team in the under-15 COPA Coca-Cola football final that took
place at the Nike Football Centre in Soweto today. Johannesburg, boosted
by players form Orlando Pirates Academy, was too strong for the newcomers from
the Free State, Bodikela Secondary School whom they beat 4 – 0.
“This is a fantastic
achievement for our school,” said Johannesburg Secondary School captain, Thula
Thabethe who was recruited into the Orlando Pirates academy in 2009 when
spotted in a tournament in Umlazi.
“Although I am a
defender, I still managed to score in this tournament which has given me such
confidence as a captain as I successfully managed the team as well as play
well,” said Thabethe. “I picked up an injury in the semifinal and I was
worried that my coach would not play me but it worked out well.”
Johannesburg Secondary
School lost one game in the tournament and that was against Lehlasedi from
Mpumalanga in their final League game. “This loss was an eye opener for
me,” said Thabethe. “That one game taught me that no matter how good your
opponents might appear, they can be beaten. Meanwhile we looked at the team as
underdogs so one should never feel complacent. I watched most of the
games and I saw teams that were losing fight back and win which showed such
spirit and determination.”
For Bodikela captain,
Tokelo Mofokeng, just getting to the finals was a learning experience.
“We have never played in COPA Coca-Cola before so getting to the final is such
an achievement. I scored the winning goal against Lehlasedi (Mpumalanga) to put
us in the finals and that was a great feeling.”
Playing on Astroturf
was also a new experience for Mofokeng. “I am used to playing on a bumpy
surface and on Astroturf there can be no excuses. If a player makes a
mistake it is due to him not being composed. I will definitely go home as
a better player,” said the youngster who is hoping to be noticed by the School
of Excellent. “This is where Steven Pienaar learnt to play, and he also
competed in a Coca-Cola development tournament.”
Johannesburg Secondary
School won R150 000 as COPA Coca-Cola champions while Bodikela won
R50 000 and Lehlasedi High School from Mpumalanga take home
R20 000 for their third place finish.
Johannesburg
also scooped the two awards on offer: Sibusiso Dlamini was the top
goalscorer and Nkululeko Noguda the top goalkeeper.
FINAL RESULTS
SEMIFINAL
Bodikela
1 vs Lehlasedi 0
GOAL: Tokelo Mofokeng
SEMIFINAL
Johannesburg
4 vs Robinvale 0
GOALS: Thula Thabethe
(2), Sibusiso Dlamini (2)
Position 5/6
Arefadimeng
3 vs Steinkopf 0
GOALS: Zamile
Ntsume, Thamsanqa Molutsi (2)
Position 3 / 4
Lehlasedi (0) 4
vs Robinvale (0) 1
Lehlasedi won 4 – 1 0n
penalties
FINAL
Johannesburg 4 vs
Bodikela 0
GOALS: Sibusiso
Dlamini (4)
FINAL POSITIONS
6. Steinkopf
High School (Northern Cape)
5. Arefadimeng
Secondary School (North West)
4. Robinvale High
School (WC)
3. Lehlasedi High School
(Mpumalanga)
2. Bodikela Junior
Secondary School (Free State)
1. Johannesburg
Secondary School (Gauteng)