Soccer fans are in for a treat tonight with the arrival of Barcelona FC, ahead of their friendly match with Mamelodi Sundowns tonight.
The friendly match between the Spanish giants and Sundowns will get underway at the FNB Stadium at 6.15pm. The match forms part of events to mark the late President Nelson Mandela’s centenary.
The recently crowned La Liga champions arrived at OR Tambo International Airport earlier today following a flight delay.
In a tweet on Tuesday night, Barca announced that stars like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta would take part in the match.
Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane said he is excited that his team will come up against one of the world’s best football teams.
“The Barca game is for the guys to get experience, to see how far we are, what the difference between us and Barca is and what the difference between the PSL [Premier Soccer League] and La Liga is. For me, it is about seeing how far our tactics are in comparison to Barca,” said Mosimane.
The match comes after Sundowns were crowned league champions for the eighth time.
At a media briefing last week, the chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on the centenary of South Africa’s founding President, Jeff Radebe, said the two teams will follow in Madiba’s footsteps of uniting people across regions and continents.
“As the IMC, we would like to congratulate the cooperation that has been displayed in the hosting of this game between the football authorities of our country, and the management of the two teams,” he said.
The Minister believed Mandela would be happy where he is, that his name is being appropriately linked to an effort that has united people across the oceans.
Tickets for the clash, which started at R40 and went all the way up to R550, are sold out.
Fans can catch the match live on SABC 1. - SAnews.gov.za
