An iconic Premier League boss is reportedly set to attend the opening clash of the inaugural African Football League between Simba SC and Al Ahly on Friday.
The start of Africa's greatly anticipated new tournament is just around the corner, with the Reds of Msimbazi and the Club of the Century preparing to do battle in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Read: African giants 'reject' CAF offer ahead of AFL opener
The two sides are familiar foes as they have met four times in the CAF Champions League since 2019, sharing balanced head-to-head record of two wins apiece, according to 365Score.
With Friday's historic launch of the mega-money competition, which has $4 million (R75 million) up for grabs for the eventual winners, some high-profile dignitaries are expected to be in attendance.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino will grace the occasion among a reported 250 other football leaders, including the head of CAF, Patrice Motsepe.
According to Pulse Uganda, legendary Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will also be in attendance at the game on Friday, having arrived in Tanzania on Thursday.
The Frenchman, who is now FIFA's chief of global football development, met with SAFA president Danny Jordaan earlier this year in Paris regarding the future implementation of VAR in the DStv Premiership and the South African federation's Vision 2030 project.
"I have met a lot of influential football people globally lately, and when I was in Paris last week I met, among other people, [Pierluigi] Collina and Arsene Wenger. We want to tap into their expertise as we move towards revamping and taking our game to the next level," Jordaan said in March, according to IOL.
"We want Wenger to help with boosting and revamping the development structures, and Collina to help set up the long-awaited VAR process.
"These are exciting times for South African football, as we are also bidding for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup."
Read: Wild Take: Europe's stars have no right to complain about games
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: