THURSDAY August 8, 2024
By The Tranquility News Correspondent, Tanzania
Sombetini, a public secondary school’s team, and its privately-run counterpart, St. Patrick Academy, have emerged finalists in a Tanzania’s maiden football tournament dubbed Champions of Tomorrow (CoT).
Ashok Mittal, 17-year-old Tanzanian student in pursuit of higher education studies in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the founder of the tournament flagged off a week ago.
Sombetini and St. Patrick Academy secondary schools have emerged finalists of the ‘Champion of Tomorrow’ tournament after showing strong performances during semi-final matches.
Sombetini Secondary School had to edge Mateves Secondary School 1-0 in the first semi-final to secure a ticket for the Champions of Tomorrow’s final match.
Rashid Athuman Ramadhan scored the decisive goal, leaving players of the Mateves team regretting a golden opportunity following its star player Majid Odd alias Twaha missing a penalty.
St. Patrick Academy ended up in a barren draw with Sinon Secondary School, in turn, compelling penalty shootouts to determine the winner.
St. Patrick Academy triumphed 5-4 in the shootouts tactically scored by Stephen Masese, Ramadhani Abbasi, Given Patrick, Igua Joseph, and John Justine.
Sinon’s goalkeeper Evance Dennis though saved two of St. Patrick’s attempts, he could not prevent his team from suffering the overall defeat.
Sinon Secondary School’s penalty scorers were Husseni Ridhiwani, Halid Nurdin, Said Hassan, and Bakari Selemani.
Sinon’s players Ibrahim Abdul, Evance Dennis, and Jackson Julius were to blame for their failure to convert crucial chances. Julius missed a second chance he was awarded to retake his penalty following the St. Patrick’s goalkeeper swerving across the goal line prematurely.
Mittal extended his gratitude to the tournament’s sponsors, including Tronic, Meru, Hanspaul, Sameer Parts, Flying Cargo, A to Z, Arusha Sundries, and Acer Petroleum, for making the event successful and fulfilling his goal of nurturing young talent.
“Today’s semi-final matches have set the stage for an exciting final between St. Patrick and Sombetini. I’m deeply thankful to our sponsors for their crucial role in this achievement,” Mittal said.
Mittal, who organised the tournament involving eight secondary schools, said the final match would be held at the UWC International Secondary School’s football pitch.
The winning team will receive a cup, medals, and sports gear, including modern football shoes, T-shirts, a ball, and gloves for goalkeepersΩ
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The Tranquility News Reporter/Sub Editor, Tanzania
Patty Magubira is an experienced environmental and business editor whose career started at the Tanzania's state-owned newspaper - The Daily News. He is a man of perfection. Aided by his extensive training as a community forestry expert before joining Tanzania School of Journalism. Magubira had successfully held various key posts in newsrooms, giving him an unmatched connections in media fraternity. Having worked as a bureau chief in Arusha and Mwanza, he managed to build a team work, boosting sales to the highest level ever. He was then promoted to a sub-editor after completing a training in Nairobi, Kenya. His incredible experience, critical thinking and exposure are critical to the quality of any media outlet.
