Lentswe, Lichtenburg - BIANCA Academy were crowned champions of the Ditsobotla Local Football Association (Dilfa) Easter Football tournament on Monday 5 April. Bianca from Blydeville reigned supreme as they thumped Florentina 2-0 in a thrill-a-minute senior men’s final, held at Itsoseng Stadium.

In partnership with AfriSam, Dilfa marked the 2nd anniversary of the annual tournament with yet another successful event, a competition which featured as many as 800 participants from local communities.

Bianca were not the only winners on the day. Madibe Ladies from Madibe Village edged Bianca Academy 3-1 on penalties to claim the senior women’s cup.
In the boys U-19 final, Scottish from Blydeville took honours with a narrow 1-0 win over Mighty Blizzards from Itsoseng.

In the Masters and Legends final, Brotherhood FC oldies from Klerksdorp defied age as they brushed aside Bafitlhile FC 3-1. Dilfa XI crushed AfriSam United 5-2 in an invitational clash.

The tournament, attended by dignitaries and scouts including Safa honorary president Prof Lesole Gadinabokao and Safa North West president David Molwantwa, started on Friday 2 April.

“Talent identification is at the heart of football development,” said Gadinabokao.

“The growth of this tournament is important for football in the community. We have seen lots of talent throughout the tournament and I’m certain the scouts would have been impressed by what they’ve seen.

“I’d like to see more and more players coming out of the province and enroll in academies. In that way, we will grow our talent pool and the benefit of national teams, including Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.”

AfriSam general manager Vishal Aniruth has commended the organisers for the successful event, pointing to its impact on grassroots football in disadvantaged communities.

“We are very happy with the tournament’s success, looking forward these type of tournaments where we can go to the grassroots and reach more young players, both girls and boys, and help elevate them to the national teams,” he said.

Dilfa chairman Thebe Sekoto congratulated the winners, emphasizing the significance of talent scouting. “Talent identification remains a key driver during this tournament with a sole purpose to unearth raw talent and expose it particularly amongst women and U19 players,” he said.