Zimpapers Logo

Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter

AMABHUBESI FC were yesterday crowned champions of the Futsal Southern Region Five-A-Side League at Bulawayo’s Busters Club.
In the nine-team league, Amabhubesi FC emerged as the champions with 43 points, seven ahead of Fox, who finished as the first runners-up.
“It’s congratulations to Amabhubesi, they had a wonderful season. We had a challenge tournament to honour them,” said National Futsal Association chairman, Philani Banda.
He added: “We are happy that the Southern Region League once again had a smooth sailing season. As we crown the champions, we want to encourage all our affiliates to consider a professional approach to the game.”
The league also has Entumbane Stars, Nedbank, Mictech Stars, Black Spartans, Mzilikazi United, Emeralds and TNS Rovers as part of its affiliates. Entumbane Stars finished the season on number three with 27 points while Nedbank ended in number four, five points adrift from the latter.
Five-A-Side football is a version of mini-football, in which each team fields five players, four on-field players and a goalkeeper.
Other differences from association football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals and reduced game duration. Matches are played indoors, or outdoors on artificial grass pitches that may be enclosed within a barrier or “cage” to prevent the ball from leaving. @FungaiMuderere