Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. presented the 2019 African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament championship trophy to Team Senegal, beating Team Benin, on Sunday, May 18, 2019, during the 48th annual Bronx Week Parade.
Team Senegal led throughout most of championship match before Team Benin tied the game up 1-1 late in the second half, taking the game to penalty kicks to decide the champion.
Team Senegal edged out Team Benin 2-1 in penalty kicks to win the title Team Senegal was one of 12 teams representing various African nations that played every Saturday and Sunday this spring at Macombs Dam Park, in the shadows of iconic Yankee Stadium – home of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) New York Yankees and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) NYCFC soccer club – to determine a Bronx African soccer champion.
Two-time defending champions Team Gambia, who were looking to win third championship title in a row, were eliminated in the qualifying stages.
This year’s African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament was sponsored by Royal Air Maroc, Western Beef and Bronx Cares Both the soccer tournament and the African Advisory Council were created in 2010, with help from Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in order to make African immigrants in the borough become more engaged in local government and to unite our diverse African diaspora.
“The passion for ‘the Beautiful Game’ unites people from around the globe, and it’s no different here in The Bronx, as our African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament has shown year after year,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “This pan-African tournament showcases that love of soccer as a binding force among our ever-growing Bronx African community. I want to thank everyone who participated in this wonderful tournament, including the two-time defending champions Gambia, finalist Team Benin and the newly-crowned champions Team Senegal, for a hard-fought championship campaign.”
