MONZE GEORGE STORM PFL FINALS

By MICHAEL MIYOBA PREMIER Futsal League outfit Monze George shocked Kabwe K-Line 2-0 in the final semifinal match played at Automotive Futsal Arena on Saturday to progress to the finals of the Premier Futsal League. It was the most shocking result of the PFL as George where deemed as the under-dogs going into the final semifinal playoff. George, who lost the first semifinal playoff 5-4 on penalties before winning the second set 5-2 showed a lot of determination to beat K-Line who were ranked as second best team in the PFL and denied them a chance to march on to the PFL finals. The win cheered PFL chairman Tarak Mehta who hailed Monze George for showing a no-fear character to overcome the giants. Mehta said Monze George’s win over Kabwe K-Line shows the hard work the PFL has been doing to develop futsal in the country. He said the future of Zambian futsal is bright because boys who knew nothing about the game four years ago are now able to compete with experienced teams like Kabwe K-Line who are considered the big teams. “This is the biggest shock of the season and from our end this shows that our work to develop futsal in Zambia is paying off. “The future of futsal in Zambia is in safe hands because these boys who have stormed the PFL finals knew nothing about futsal a few years ago but now they are able to compete with the best which is very motivating,” Mehta said. Mehta reaffirmed PFL’s commitment to ensure that the sport continues to develop through the mentoring boys from a young age. After qualifying to the finals of the PFL, Monze George will meet defending champions Automotive FC who ejected Chipata Boys to reach the finals. Meanwhile, in the National Division One Futsal League playoff, BS Stars increased their chances of winning promotion to the PFL after beating Pioneer Avengers 8-6 in the first set of the finals being played in three sets. However, all hope is not lost for Avengers who have next weekend to redeem themselves when they host BS Stars in the second set of the finals being played in best of three sets.