CFU NEWS - SA 2010 W/Cup committee invites Warner to Mandela Match

SA 2010 W/Cup committee invites Warner to Mandela match

Issued on July 3, 2007

 

The Local Organizing Committee for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa has extended an invitation to FIFA Vice President Jack Warner to be among the honoured guests at the “90 Minutes for Mandela” match at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on July 18.

 

An impressive group of more than 50 past and present world-class footballers, including Brazilian football legend Pelé, three-time African player of the year Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), 1998 FIFA World Cup champion Christian Karembeu (France), former European player of the year Ruud Gullit (Netherlands) and South African star Lucas Radebe have confirmed their presence for the encounter.

 

The game, which will serve as a tribute to the legendary South African statesman on the occasion of his 89th birthday, will see an Africa XI meet a Rest of the World XI.

 

Warner, at present in Canada for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup received the formal invitation on Tuesday from Danny Jordaan, chief executive officer for the 2010 World Cup.

 

“On behalf of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I would like to extend our sincere congratulations upon your reelection as Vice President of the FIFA Executive Committee.

 

“We worked together first through the Bid campaign and then through the first years of the hosting phase, and I am delighted that we will now have the opportunity of continuing this partnership towards staging an outstanding tournament in 2010,” Jordaan stated in his letter to the CONCACAF President.

 

The sale of tickets for this unique game, organised by FIFA together with the South African Football Association (SAFA), the South African Local Organising Committee (SALOC), the Nelson Mandela Foundation and FIFPro (the international federation of professional football players), will start soon. More details will follow in the coming days on FIFA.com.

 

The proceeds of the match will all be earmarked for legacy programmes reaching out to young people in South Africa by using football to develop educational, health and social programmes. The exact activities will be decided and implemented in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

 

Meantime Warner was also in the company of Canadian Minister of Finance James Michael Flaherty at a FIFA Under 20 World Cup game on Sunday between the hosts and Chile. Warner presented a FIFA pennant to Flaherty who represented the Canadian Government on the occasion in Toronto.