The Bundesliga has announced that iconic African footballer Jay-Jay Okocha will visit Johannesburg from 8 to 11 November 2018 as part of the Bundesliga Legends Tour to South Africa in partnership with StarSat.
The former Bundesliga star will be on a four-day visit to promote the league and interact with African football fans.
During his trip, he will visit the AMANDLA Safe-Hub in Diepsloot, a project which has recently agreed a long-term strategic partnership with Germany's Bundesliga. Working together with the international social enterprise AMANDLA, the Bundesliga will support the Safe-Hub in Diepsloot, a holistic, football-based education centre.
Additional activities during the Bundesliga Legends Tour will include media interviews, a Facebook live chat with football fans and a visit to a local school.
On Saturday, Okocha will attend a Fan Fest at Balfour Mall in Johannesburg. There, fans will be able to watch the Borussia Dortmund versus FC Bayern Munich and SV Werder Bremen versus Borussia Monchengladbach matches. Live entertainment with DJ Sbu, giveaways, youth soccer tournaments, food, drinks and much more will also give fans a taste of the Bundesliga experience.
Widely regarded as the best Nigerian player of his generation, Okocha is one of the greatest African players of all time. An Olympic gold medallist and Africa Cup of Nations winner, he played some of his best football for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt during a career that spanned over 18 years.
After joining Eintracht Frankfurt in 1992, he spent four years playing for the Bundesliga club, during which he scored 18 goals in 90 appearances.
One of those is forever remembered by many fans. Against Karlsruher SC, he beat legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn on 31 August 1993. Okocha came on as a second-half substitute and as he got into the match, he picked up the ball, dribbled past the entire defence, including Kahn, before slotting the ball into the net to give his team a 3-1 lead. The strike was voted by a number of football magazines as the Goal of the Season.
Okocha joined the Bundesliga Legends as a global Bundesliga Brand Ambassador. Speaking about this, he said: "I am very proud to represent the Bundesliga and help to show fans 'Football As It's Meant To Be'. With the highest number of goals in any European top-flight league, packed stadiums providing electric atmospheres and many of the world's greatest players and rising stars producing world-class football every week – it's not difficult to see why so many African fans love the Bundesliga."
John Yan, CEO of StarSat, added: "We are very excited to be bringing Jay-Jay Okocha, a legendary African and Bundesliga star, to South Africa. This event will provide a fantastic opportunity for fans to enjoy some of the best football in the world, live, with a player who provided so much excitement through his tantalising skill over the years.
"As the Bundesliga's official broadcaster in South Africa, StarSat will continue to offer the best matches from the league, with FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and the other clubs featuring on our sports channels over the coming days."
