Mamelodi Sundowns take the Future Champions Gauteng Cup Title

Mamelodi Sundowns have been crowned 2016 Gauteng Cup Champions after beating off the challenge of Provincial rivals Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates in an action-packed day of football at the Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto on Sunday.
Sundowns finished top of a mini-pool between the three teams to book a place at the prestigious Gothia Cup to be held in Shenyang, China between August 13-19, where they will represent South Africa and Gauteng in what is one of the largest junior tournaments in the world.
Around 1600 teams from across the globe are expected to participate in the various age-groups, with the Sundowns youngsters set to get a taste of high-quality international action.
They earned that right after beating Bidvest Wits into second place on goal-difference in the Future Champions Gauteng Cup finals.
The opening game saw the pair play to a hard-fought 0-0 draw that was full of exciting football but saw no goals.
Sundowns then defeated Orlando Pirates 3-1 in the second game thanks to goals from Promise Mkhuma, Boitumelo Pheko and Siphamandla Ntuli. Thabiso Monyane grabbed a consolation for the young Buccaneers.
Wits needed to better that score to take top spot but could only manage a 1-0 victory over Pirates thanks to a penalty from Givemore Khupe and missed out on goal-difference.
The Gothia Cup was first held in 1975 and was started by the football associations BK Häcken, GAIS and a local newspaper, but has been owned since the early 80s entirely and solely by BK Häcken, who have South African defender Tefu Mashamaite on their books.
Through the years, almost a million players from a total of 141 countries have participated in the tournament.

  • 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