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Some 22 football legends will represent the City and raise the profile of football in the run up to and during the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
Joburg’s executive mayor Amos Masondo with legends of yesteryear
IN their heyday as footballers, soccer legends like McDonald "Rhee" Skhosana and Amos "Heel Extension" Mkhari wowed fans with fancy football gimmicks like "tsamaya", "shibobo" and "show me your number".
Today, in recognition of their contribution to the development of the sport in Joburg, Skhosana and Mkhari, together with 20 other soccer legends, are to become City ambassadors in the build up to and during the Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™ and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Linda Ngwenya, the director of the City's 2010 unit, says Joburg will select 22 from a list of 25 soccer legends provided by the South African Soccer Legends (SASL) to represent it during the build up to the two international football events.
"These soccer legends will become the face of the City in the build up to and during the two tournaments as well as other 2010 related ... events like Football for Hope."
Household names
Household names from the 1960s to the 1990s, he says they devoted most of their lives to soccer during the apartheid years. "They played for the love of the game without any incentives at all."
Soccer legends have been used as ambassadors and as a means of encouraging aspirant sport lovers for a long time locally and internationally. The world football governing body, FIFA, has used soccer legends like Pele of Brazil and Franz Beckenbauer of Germany, among others, as ambassadors for the sport.
Locally, the South African Football Association appointed both African and South African footballers such as George Weah of Liberia, Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia, Abedi Pele Ayeuw of Ghana, and South Africans Lucas Radebe and Mark Fish as 2010 ambassadors.
As the City's 2010 ambassadors, the soccer legends will perform certain functions; they will appear with Executive Mayor Amos Masondo at events such as 2010 media briefings, marketing campaigns and the unveiling of 2010 projects, according to Ngwenya.
"Each legend will be given a uniform which represents the corporate identity of the 2010 office and the City. The uniform will comprise grey trousers, blue shirt, black blazer and tie with the City of Joburg, Host City badge."
Already, Joburg has drawn up a list of activities in which the soccer legends will participate in the build up to the Confederations Cup and the World Cup. These include identifying talent and holding football clinics; participating in the Football Friends Tournament; the 500 Days Celebrations on 26 January 2009; the Trophy Tour; the Mascot Launch; and the Football for Hope Tournament.
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