A feast of football will heat up Cape Town this winter with three top English Premier League teams heading to the Mother City next month and July.
As expected, Liverpool will take on Ajax Cape Town on May 21, three days after the Cape side conclude their league obligations against Golden Arrows.
A well-placed source yesterday also revealed that the Urban Warriors will be involved in a triangular tournament featuring the Reds’ fierce rivals, Everton, and possibly Newcastle United from July 20-27.
According to the source, the City of Cape Town is still in negotiations with Newcastle United, with relegation-threatened Aston Villa also an option if a deal with the Magpies can’t be reached.
All the matches will be played at Cape Town Stadium, with Newcastle United taking on Ajax Cape Town on July 20 in the first match. Four days later the Geordies will play Everton, before the Toffees end their trip to Cape Town with a clash against Ajax on July 27.
Grant Pascoe, mayoral committee member for tourism, events and marketing, and Ajax chief executive George Comitis spent a weekend in England a few months ago where they watched three football matches around the country to lure teams to the Western Cape.
Pascoe could not be reached for comment last night, while Comitis declined to comment.
But it seems that this triangular soccer tournament could be a permanent fixture on the Mother City’s football calendar, with talk of more teams visiting the city in the next couple of years.
Manchester United, who have just clinched their 20th English title this season, played to a 1-1 draw against Ajax in front of a capacity crowd, despite the driving rain on a freezing July day.
This is going be Liverpool’s first match in Cape Town since their 3-0 victory over Cape Town Spurs at Newlands cricket ground in 1994. Reds legend Robbie Fowler scored a brace on that historic day. - Cape Times