Zebaldt Ngaruka
Gobabis Masters football team emerged victorious in the first edition of the Winter Cup tournament, which was held at Legare Stadium in Gobabis on Saturday.
The knock-out competition featured four teams, namely Master, Gobabis Legends, Ondangwa Masters from the Oshana region and Matrix from the Khomas region.
The aim of the tournament was to bring legendary players together, keep them fit and socialise, while looking at ways of giving back to upcoming players.
In the first match, Gobabis Masters defeated Ondangwa Masters 4-2 to book their place in the final.
The second game saw Gobabis Legends locking horns with Matrix, with the latter winning 2-0 to claim the final spot against Gobabis Masters. Ondangwa Masters and Gobabis Legends battled for the third and fourth place spot, which Masters won 2-0.
The final game of the tournament was a one-all stalemate in regulation time, and the two teams went for a penalty shootout, which saw Gobabis Masters prevailing by a 4-2 result.
The champion took home a trophy plus N$1 500, while Matrix pocketed N$900 as runners up and Ondangwa Masters walk away with N$600 for coming third.
Ivo Mate, who is the organiser of the competition, said the tournament did not attract sponsors, as it was organised in a short period.
“The legends had a great time, and price money was not the issue, as we primarily aimed at bringing the spirit of togetherness among football legends. We had participants from as far as Oshana region; we will work the extra mile next time to attract more teams and sponsors,” Mate underlined.
He added that for the next tournament, they will add netball games for the legends. “This was the beginning and the desire from the legends to develop sport and help the youth with ideas on how football was played,” explained the organiser. The next tournament is scheduled for Ondangwa in the Oshana region next year. – zngaruka@yahoo.com