Amagombinyoni striker, Sidwell Booysen playing against Team Belarus in Russia.
South Africa's national team for men's visually impaired football, Amagombinyoni were treated to a triumphant heroes' welcome when they recently landed at the OR Tambo International Airport.
This was after concluding what was an inspirational five-day trip to Russia, where they participated in the BRICS+ International Blind Football Friendly Tournament. Amagombinyoni returned with top honours, finishing the tournament with three goals in four games, a hard-fought win against seasoned campaigners Belarus, as well as the highly coveted accolades for Team of The Tournament.
Head Coach Mlungisi Jack Msibi, received the Breakthrough Coach of the Tournament. The defender, Koketso Titus won a Player of the Tournament.
The team landed in Moscow with limited resources and zero support from the government and any government-affiliated organisations, with their only sponsorships coming from the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA), coupled with a generous donation from Busch.
Makhosi Mlangeni, the executive assistant to the president of the Corinthians Africa, Jack Msibi said, “They were also the youngest, least experienced team, averaging an age of 19, whereas the second-youngest team averaged at 28. In spite of these hindrances, Team South Africa played their hearts out against Zvezda, one of the teams from the host nation, and Kairat, the team representing Kazakhstan. These were performances that earned applause and respect from the spectators to the extent that a goal scored by the team against the hosts was met with resounding cheers from the crowd.”
Amagombinyoni striker, Sidwell Booysen in Russia.
Mlangeni said:
Mlangeni added that the team were newcomers who trained for three days before jetting off, going toe-to-toe with seasoned professionals with established leagues in their home countries, who had been preparing for this competition for months.
“Even though we didn't win, we walked away as the most memorable group to ever play International Blind Football in Russia. Now imagine what we could achieve if we had no limitations,” said Mlangeni.
