The popular Maimane Alfred Phiri (MAP) games, affectionately known as “iDiski yase kasi” are back for their 21st edition, which will be taking place from Saturday October 18 to November 30. All the matches will be played at the Emfuleni grounds in River Park, Alexandra.
The tournament, affectionately known as the world cup of kasi tournaments, is organised by former Bafana Bafana midfielder Alfred Maimane Phiri, a proud resident of Alexandra township. Phiri who featured for Bafana in the 1998 Fifa World Cup in France, also spent considerable time in Turkey playing for top sides such as Genclerbirligi, Vanspor and Samsunspor.
In the PSL, Phiri turned out for Jomo Cosmos, Ajax Cape Town, SuperSport United and Moroka Swallows.
The games will feature the masters’ category, seniors/open category and the juniors, which has four different age groups, the under-13,15,17 and 19.
The matches for the seniors/open and masters will be played on a gravel pitch at Emfuleni, formerly known as Brazil and the finals will be hosted at the Alexandra Stadium. The juniors will use several fields around Alexandra, with the finals also taking place at the bigger Alexandra Stadium. This category is administrated by the Alexandra LFA under SAFA JHB region.
As trendsetters in kasi football, the games have secured a partnership with fibertime, an emerging internet service provider who will make the games accessible live on the newly build MAP games app and other social platforms. The tournament has produced professional players such as Lebo Manyama, Patrick Phungwayo, Tight Molongoane, Thabo Matlaba and Mpho Makola to mention but a few.
“It’s always an exciting and nervous period in my life when the games are about to kick off; there is an air of excitement in the streets and my phone is pregnant with calls from different sectors of the community,” said Phiri.
“I am glad that I can still positively play a role in changing the fortunes of our talented footballers and the general community of Alexandra. I think I found fresh inspiration for the games after a difficult period when I saw Gomolemo Kekana scoring the winning goal at the Afcon Under-20 wearing the jersey number 8 that I also wore in France 1998.
“Kekana is amongst the boys who have played MAP games from Under-13 to Under-19 along with Lebone Seema and Momelezi Dlambewu who was in the recent CHAN squad,” added Phiri.
The games are all about promoting nation building, sustainable sport, education and youth programs as well as delivering outstanding, memorable events. The MAP Games started in 2001 with just four teams, and Phiri started the games as his social responsibility project and a way to give back to the community that bore and bred him.
“We aspire to unearth and nurture complete athletes through integrated youth development and empowerment, thus readdressing socio-economic challenges,” Phiri explained.
