Clube Atletico Mineiro and PSV Eindhoven join the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament

Johannesburg, Tuesday, 13 March 2012 – The 2012 Future Champions Gauteng tournament will once again see some of the best Under-17 sides from around the world descend on South African soil in a quest to be crowned champions.

Now in its fourth year, the tournament hosted by Gauteng Provincial Government has become a popular feature on the junior international football calendar and is regarded as one of the most prestigious Under-17 competitions in the world.

Clube Atletico Mineiro, winners of the 2011 Future Champions Gauteng and two-time title winners of the Future Champions Belo Horizonte event in Brazil will be back to defend their crown and will certainly be the team to beat for the 12-strong field.

They defeated compatriots Cruzeiro EC 5-3 and 6 – 5 on penalties in the 2010 and 2011 Future Champions Belo Horizonte finals, respectively, and then beat Russian side Rubin Kazan 3-0 in the decider in Gauteng in April last year.

Based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the club will celebrate its 104th birthday on March 25, the day before the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng tournament gets under way.

The senior side is one of the more well-known out of Brazil, though their only ever National League title came all the way back in 1971.

They are coached by former Brazil international Cuca, and count among their current stars Brazilian international defender Réver.

Last year they showed incredible attacking skill and were a joy to watch, bringing with them typical South American flair.

“We participated in the Future Champions Gauteng last year and it was a great experience. The technical level of the teams in the competition was very good as well as the organization. We always have great expectations for this tournament and already we are excited to participate in the Future Champions Gauteng 2012.†says Andre Figueiredo, Clube Atletico Mineiro

Another of the massive names in world football who will be the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng is Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

Football in the Netherlands is renowned across the globe for the way they develop young players and the programmes that they have in place to nurture future stars.

PSV appeared at the 2011 Future Champions Gauteng tournament as well, ending in 11th place, a record they will hope to improve on this year.

Their senior side has been leading the Dutch Eredivisie for much of this season under the tutelage of Coach Fred Rutten.

Some of the global greats to have turned out for the club down the years include Dutch internationals Ruud Gullit, Patrick Kluivert, Ronald Koeman, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben, Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya, and Brazilian strike sensations Romário and Ronaldo.

They are a side who consistently produce international quality players through their own ranks, so we could be seeing future global stars in the side they bring to the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng.

“The youth department of the PHILIPS SPORT VERENIGING (PSV) is delighted to be sending our U17 team to the Future Champions Gauteng in South Africa once again.

“We are currently in fourth position in the national competition and five of our players are represented in the Dutch National U17 team. The team is eager to show their skills in South Africa, knowing that they love our style of playing attractive football. Of course, our goal is not only reaching the final but also to win the tournament.†says Cees van Merode, Director – Matches and Tournaments at PSV.

There were 73 goals scored in 30 matches at the 2011 Future Champions Gauteng, with Ibrahim Ablodun of Nigeria’s Apapa Golden Stars the top individual scorer with five goals.

Clube Atletico Mineiro finished as winners, followed by Rubin Kazan with Mexico’s Pachuca taking the bronze medal.

The field of 12 teams for this year’s Future Champions Gauteng will consist of eight international sides and four teams from Mzansi who will come out of the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup that will be played on the weekend of March 17/18.

  • 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