K15,000-rich Masumba tournament kicks off

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 07:24:08 +0000

By MICHAEL MIYOBA

THE K15 000 Steven Masumba birthday soccer tournament kicked off in Lusaka with Kalingalinga’s Lilanda F.C. clashing with Fortune F.C. in a group a fixture played at Kalingalinga Basic School grounds.

Speaking during the official opening of the tournament, former deputy minister of Sports, Youth and Child Development, Steven Masumba, urged the youths to take the tournament seriously as it will help them improve their talents.

He noted that the tournament will help youths in the country to desist from involving themselves in activities that do not add value to their lives.

“I’m encouraging you guys to take this tournament seriously. This tournament is not meant to be a joke as it will help to tap talent from the grassroots, therefore you need to dedicate yourselves, you need to be serious because we want to come up with a champion,” Masumba Said

Masumba called on other stakeholders to supplement Government efforts in contributing to the development of youths and sports.

He noted that Government might not be able to help all the youths in Zambia who are blessed with so much talent, hence the need for him and other stakeholder to complement Government’s efforts in improving the lives of youths.

“I as an individual have decided to support grassroots football in order to identify young players who may end up representing the nation in the future. This is also to complement Government’s efforts of supporting the development of sports in compounds,” he said.

“Government may not be able to meet all the needs of the youths due to some challenges. Therefore there is need for more stakeholders to get involved in order to improve the lives of young people in our country,” Masumba added.

The Steven Masumba soccer tournament has attracted about 100 teams from around Lusaka and will run from January 14 to March 26 with the champions walking away with K15,000 prize money