Pretoria - Football fans in Soweto and the surrounding areas will get the opportunity to see and be photographed with the biggest prize in African football - the Africa Cup of Nations Trophy.
The Afcon Trophy will be at Jabulani Mall, Soweto tomorrow, along with Bafana Bafana legends Neil Tovey and Brian Baloyi from 11am until 3pm. The soccer stars will be on hand to chat to supporters and relay their stories of having played in the continental showpiece.
The Afcon Trophy is currently touring the country to drum up Afcon fever ahead of the tournament in January. It has already concluded stops in Durban last month and Port Elizabeth this past weekend.
Former Bafana goal keeper, Baloyi said he was excited to witness so many people who came out in numbers to see the trophy in Port Elizabeth last week Saturday.
"You could really feel the buzz of excitement about the upcoming Orange Africa Cup of Nations and Standard Bank should be congratulated for staging this tour to help get people excited about the event," said Baloyi.
Baloyi said it will be crucial for Bafana Bafana to get off to a good start against Cape Verde Islands. "If they can win their first match there is every good chance that we will see them again at Soccer City [FNB Stadium] at the finals.
"I am sure the stadium will be packed for the opening games and that will create a special atmosphere and give the players the boost they need to perform," he said.
FNB Stadium in Johannesburg will host a double-header on the opening day of the Afcon on January 19 as Bafana Bafana will take on debutantes Cape Verde Islands, and later Angola lock horn with Morocco.
The tournament will then be played at other host city stadiums such as Rustenburg, Mbombela, Nelson Mandela Bay and Durban before returning to FNB Stadium for the final on Sunday, February 10, where a new champion of Africa will be crowned.
The final stop of the trophy tour will be at the Riverside Mall in Nelspruit on Saturday, 8 December from 11am until 3pm. - SAnews.gov.za
