Toyota Cup is here!

By Tana Malinga
THE focus this month is the African football flair event, the Toyota Cup clash at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
      The Amakhosi Faithful will play against one of fiercest side in the African continent, the Young African Sporting Club.
         Kick-off is at 3pm. The anticipated clash between the two teams is expected to take place on 28 July.
   It’s a new pre-season cup.      Toyota South Africa Motors as sponsors for the Glamour Boys will see Chiefs take on big teams from around the continent in the next three years.      All matches will take place during the pre-season period to allow both teams to look at the readiness of their players ahead of a new season.
        Chiefs will host all games during the duration of the sponsorship.
At the stadium fans will be kept entertained all day, ahead of the titanic clash, football fans in the City of Roses will have the opportunity to go down memory lane with a curtain-raiser match between Kaizer Chiefs and Bloemfontein Celtic legends at 12h30.
        The legends’ match, along with the main clash between Amakhosi and Yanga will also be in honour of the late Ntate Petrus Molemela – Life President of Bloemfontein Celtic and the football loving people of Mangaung.
    Not only are fans guaranteed live entertainment by renowned artists and two football matches on match day, but there’s also an exciting prize give-away, which will see one lucky fan leave the Toyota stadium with a brand-new Toyota Corolla Cross XI CVT worth over R400 000.
Entry to the competition requires buying a Toyota Cup match ticket at any TicketPro outlet.
     Participants must then send an SMS containing their name, surname, ID number, unique Toyota Cup match ticket number, and their province of residence to 48952.        It is important to note that this is a premium-rated SMS charged at R1.50 per entry, and free SMS options do not apply. Example SMS Format: John Doe, ID7405230050 00, 12345678, Gauteng.
Leon Theron, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors, said:
        “The launch of this unique cup signifies our commitment to our customers, who we know have a strong passion for sport.      The innovative nature of this property further emphasises our commitment to engaging with our customers in Mzansi and various parts of the continent.”
      Kaizer Chiefs’ marketing and commercial director, Jessica Motaung, said they were excited to be launching this ground-breaking initiative through their partnership with Toyota.
       However, Young Africans SC president, Hersi Ally Said, were pleased to receive this invitation to participate in the Toyota Cup 2024.
    This match continues the relationship between them which began last year when they invited Chiefs to participate in their exhibition friendly match called Wiki Ya Mwananchi.
        “We are delighted by this invitation and promise to deliver a competitive match that will help us prepare for the new season of 2024/25”
      Tickets to the first ever Toyota Cup are officially on sale across all TicketPro outlets in South Africa from as little as R40. Fans are urged to buy their tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment.