Retired player wants to inspire hometown youth
After his name was linked to a fraudulent act nine months ago, ex-Jomo Cosmos and Orlando Pirates defender Lucas Tlhomelang is staging a football tournament this Easter in his hometown of Taung, North West.
The competition will involve eight local teams and will be played over two days – on Saturday and Sunday – at Mogopela Wanderers sports ground in Taung.
The affiliation fee is R1 500 per team and the champions will walk away with R10 000 cash prize and a trophy and kit.
In July last year Sowetan reported that an imposter in Rustenburg alleged used Tlhomelang Foundation’s name to swindle money from unsuspecting aspiring footballers, promising them a trip to England.
Now the retired player has put the incident behind him and is focused on re-building his reputation.
“I have always been organising things that uplift the community. The aim of this tournament is to give local players a chance to showcase their talent. There will be scouts [in attendance]. I want to unearth more players from North West and recommend them to Premiership teams,’’ Tlhomelang told Sowetan.
“I have moved on from that fraud incident. In December, I staged another tournament and people supported it. In September I had summer games and they went well. I am the last player from my hometown to play for a big team like Pirates, so people are looking up to me.’’
Tlhomelang, a reformed drug addict, says his drive to arrange tournaments is motivated by his desire to help youth refrain from social ills and spend more time on sports fields.
“Sport plays a big role in fighting against drugs, so I am also using these games to raise awareness about substance abuse,’’ noted the 41-year-old who has three Bafana Bafana caps.