Cape Town, South Africa - 10 January 2024: The South African Football Association (SAFA) today announced they will host the Palestinian soccer team in Cape Town in order stage a series of solidarity matches against Bafana Bafana, the South African national soccer team. Details of the events were released at a press conference held by the football association at a press conference held at Athlone Stadium.

Bennett Bailey from SAFA in a media statement said the launch for the soccer events would be held on 24 January with the matches being held on 11 and 18 February. February 11 was chosen as it’s the date Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. The most famous quote attributed to Mandela about the Palestinian cause is “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”