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The hugely popular annual township football tournament organised by former Bafana Bafana midfielder Maimane Alfred Phiri – the MAP Games – became the latest sporting event to feel the wrath of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Phiri has confirmed the event has been postponed to a later date, seeing that the clock was ticking closer to the tournament’s traditional May to June window, while the country remains in lockdown.
“The games’ local organising committee has decided to move the tournament to September and October but we will only proceed when the government say it is safe to do so, Phiri told City Press.
“We couldn’t ignore the realities of the current situation, when everything is about the fight against this deadly virus. So, we are not cancelling the games but pushing them to the dates we hope things would have normalised by then. For now, we are trying to be part of the solution to the crisis by staying home.”
Phiri said it was not an easy call to make but the situation was also tricky given that the home of the Games, his hometown of Alexandra township, was considered among the hotspots for the coronavirus in the country.
The MAP Games – now in its 20th edition – is regarded as a big feature during the PSL off-season and the tournament attracts up to 15 000 spectators a day.
The tournament features senior, junior and women’s football competitions, as well as netball and a fun run in it’s programme and has over the years attracted participants from outside the province.
Prominent PSL players such as Kaizer Chiefs’ duo of Lebogang Manyama and Joseph Molangoane and Mpho Makola of Cape Town City made their mark in the MAP Games, which also continues to be a scouting platform for national first division.
Phiri said the media launch for this year’s edition is pencilled in for September 1, with the men’s senior football final set to close the curtain on October 25.
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