An impressive group of more than 50 past and present world-class footballers, including Brazilian football legend Pele, three-time African player of the year Samuel Eto’o, former European player of the year Ruud Gullit and former South African captain Lucas Radebe have confirmed their presence in the “90 Minutes for Mandela” match at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on July 18.
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 the Rest of the World XI.
Several other stars such as Abedi Pele , Rabah Madjer, Kalusha Bwalya, Daniel Amokachi and South Africans Mark Fish and Philemon Masinga have also confirmed their participation.
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.
This is the second time that Fifa has organised an all-star match to honour “Madiba”, an honorary title that has become synonymous with Nelson Mandela in his home country.
