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For the next four days, soccer fans in various communities around the country are expected to nail their colours to the mast in support of their neighbourhood teams.
With well over R2million spent on the Cell C Easter Soccer Tournament, competition in the event is expected to be fierce. Overall, the tournament features over 400 teams, with more than 20 events in seven provinces.
Gauteng has been the most affected by the wet weather, with persistent rain since Wednesday. However, the weather hasn’t deterred the fans, who have braved the conditions to go and support their teams.
The importance of the tournaments to the communities cannot be understated, and for those without weather concerns, the event has gone off without hassles. To this end, the tournament has successfully kicked off in parts of Gauteng, Limpopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Free State.
"This tournament is part of growing the game of football. Such tournaments will continue to help produce many top players like Sakhia Mokonyane, currently with Free State Stars. There’s also former Kaizer Chiefs and Free State Stars player Thato Mokoena," says QwaQwa tournament organiser, Leonard Ponoane.
Many other professional players started their careers in similar tournaments across the country. The events have also become a fertile ground for talent identification, with a number of professional football scouts regular features at the games.
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