adminSouth African side Orlando Pirates will this weekend acknowledge the pulling power of Lionel Messi and break with tradition.
The Soweto club, who traditionally stage Saturday fixtures at night, have brought forward by five hours their Confederation Cup play-off against Guineans Kaloum. Club official Floyd Mbele said the Buccaneers did not want to go head-to-head with the Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus in Berlin.
Televised European football is hugely popular in South Africa, and even Pirates crowd-pullers like midfielder Oupa Manyisa could not hope to compete with Messi and Barca team-mate Neymar.
The wintery weather that has struck Johannesburg, sending temperatures plummeting after dusk to single-digit celsius figures, means Pirates’ 3PM local time (1300 GMT) kick-off makes added sense.
Pirates will defend a 2-0 lead over Kaloum at Bidvest Stadium close to central Johannesburg because Orlando Stadium in Soweto is undergoing close-season maintenance.
While the ground holds only 5,000 spectators, Pirates assistant coach and former star Tebogo Moloi believes the venue will work in favour of the 1995 African champions. — Reuters
Online Reporter