Teboho Setena
The Qwaqwa-based African Warriors football team have renewed their ambitious bid to regain professional rank status after winning the Free State’s ABC Motsepe League championship.
The team narrowly beat the Bloemfontein-based Mangaung City (1 – 0) to earn the right to compete for promotion at this year’s national play-offs.
The all-important goal which decided the winner came from a penalty awarded in the second stanza of the match – a must-win for both sides – to be crowned the provincial champion. The deciding game took place at the stadium of the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, on
27 April.
The Warriors and City qualified for the provincial championship after winning streams A and B, respectively, of the provincial ABC Motsepe League. The Warriors finished on 37 points, thus beating contenders D’ General (33 points), Mangaung Unite (27 points), and Mathaithai (27 points) in the race. The local lads of City ended on 28 points, ahead of runner-up Remember Elite Soccer Academy (22 points), and third place holders Kovsie (21 points).
This was the first time City reached the provincial final since their arrival in the second-tier league.
The victorious Warriors will be among the nine clubs to battle for the two available slots in the country’s second professional rank, known as the Motsepe Foundation Championship due to sponsorship rights.
The national play-offs will culminate with the outright promotion of the two clubs, finishing on top at the play-offs. This will be Warriors’ second attempt to regain promotion to the professional division, having stayed in the ABC Motsepe League since the 2017-’18 season, following their relegation from the national first division league.
The club’s first taste of life in the professional rank came in 2007 when they were promoted via the promotion play-offs staged in the Qwaqwa. However, the Warriors’ stay lasted for nine years following a demotion at the end of the 2016-’17 season.
The pair of Morena Ramorebodi and the late Meshack “Maradona” Tsotetsi guided the team to the professional division. They transformed the team following its formation in 2006 after purchasing the franchise of Happy Kings FC. The club is currently under the sole direction of Dr Balekile Mzangwa. He has bankrolled the team since 2014 following the death of the founding director, Jabu “Little Corporal” Khumalo.
The latter died on 16 May 2013 after a short illness. During his term he also served as the chairman.
