Komesho FC forced out of SA Youth Cup

KOMESHO FC will not be defending their Metropolitan Under-19 Premier Cup in Cape Town this year, Namibia Football Association Secretary General Barry Rukoro confirmed.

The Namibian side became the first foreign team ever to clinch the trophy after defeating African Soccer Developments (ASD) Cape Town 3-2 in the 2011 final.However the event’s organisers have opted to exclude the champions on the basis that they are not a club side – a pre-requisite for participation in the tournament. South African Premiership Orlando Pirates’ U/19’s have since been roped in to fill the void for the 2012 edition, which is set to take place over Easter at Erica Park in Belhar, on the Cape Flats. ‘We won’t be taking part in that competition,’ Rukoro said. ‘There was an outcry from some of the participating teams that Komesho is a national team and not a club.’Komesho FC was entirely made-up of players unearthed from the 2009 and 2010 editions of The Namibian Newspaper Cup – the country’s premier youth football development tournament. ‘They asked us to field an under 17 team in the tournament. We feel that will not be fair on us.’For us to protect our honour as an association we took the decision not to send a team,’ he said. Now in its 24th year, the tournament has evolved into a key date on the South African football calendar, consistently attracting crowds in excess of 30 000 over the Easter weekend, as well as coaches and scouts from South Africa’s biggest clubs and Europe. The Premier Cup’s most famous products include Bafana Bafana record goalscorer Benni McCarthy and Everton/Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Steven Pienaar.Among this year’s participating teams are Aces Youth Academy from Zimbabwe, Moroka Swallows, SuperSport Tottenham Hotspur Academy, Golden Arrows, Mamelodi Sundowns, Santos, MP Black Aces, Platinum Stars and Ajax Cape Town.