By Bill Roumeliotis
In a commendable gesture, the new Football Victoria Chair Angela Williams paid tribute to former footballer and long-time South Melbourne FC legend Michalis Mandalis.
Accompanied by the Federation’s CEO, Dan Birrell, Ms Williams presented an award to Mandalis in recognition of his contribution to the game.


The event was hosted at the family-owned restaurant Vanilla in Oakleigh, where guests were treated to a rich selection of drinks and food.
Ms Williams impressed attendees with her speech, showing great respect towards Mandalis and highlighting the invaluable contribution of veteran footballers to the progress and development of football in Victoria and Australia as a whole.
The ceremony was also attended by former Brunswick Juventus player Mario Di Marti, former Football Victoria official Harry Zaitman, as well as relatives and friends of Mandalis.