Safa rallies support for Pirates

Football | CAF Champions League

The South African Football Association (Safa) is appealing to football fans around the country to put aside their club affiliations and support Orlando Pirates in their all-important CAF Champions League first-leg final fixture that will be played on Saturday at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The Bucaneers face Al Ahly and kickoff is at 8:30pm. The return leg will be played in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday 10 November.

Pirates qualified for the final after holding Tunisian giants Esperance to a goalless draw in the first leg of the semifinal at Orlando Stadium, and followed that up with another one-all draw in Tunisia – going through to the final on the away goal rule.
“This is the defining moment not just for Orlando Pirates, but for our football in general. The last time we won this competition was back in 1995, and that is a long time ago. Pirates have shown that with a good plan, more commitment and dedication we can do well in these competitions. It has not been an easy journey for them but they walked the talk and now they are standing at the gates of glory. And I believe this is where we come in as fellow South Africans,” Safa president Dr. Danny Jordaan was quoted on Cafonline.com.

“We need to come out in numbers and make sure that when the players trot on to the field, they know the whole country is behind them by seeing a packed Orlando Stadium, and I believe they will do the business. A good result in the first leg will surely go a long way in giving them more confidence to tackle the return fixture. They have done us proud so far, so let us put our club differences aside and show our support.”