FIFA are seriously considering to host the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in South Africa, which would allow Mamelodi Sundowns to take part in the competition.
The football governing body are looking for alternatives to host the tournament after Japan pulled out of hosting the tournament in December.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) will meet CAF and FIFA this week to discuss South Africa as potential host for the tournament, with Danny Jordaan set to meet FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, according to BBC.
Jordaan is traveling to Nigeria where he will meet Infantino and also FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, who just visited South Africa recently, as well as CAF president Patrice Motsepe.
“Everything will be under control by December – things are looking very positive,” SAFA Communications Director Dominic Chimhavi told BBC Sport Africa.
“If you go through our numbers, they are really declining. Most of the variants are on a massive decline and we are on a massive vaccination drive.”
“It has reached an advance stage in the sense that the Safa president is going to meet with (Giovanni) Infantino, Samoura and (Patrice) Motsepe to present the sensibility of South Africa hosting this historic event.”
A source from within SAFA has confirmed South Africa’s interest to host the tournament to iDiski Times, saying Fatma likely used her time in Mzansi to inspect some of the stadiums.
“But the good thing is that, ironically the Secretary General when she came, she wanted to see the stadiums and inspect the stadium, which she did,” a top official told iDiski Times senior writer Velile Mnyandu.
“And she spent a lot of time at FNB stadium even went to see the dressing rooms and the media area. I don’t know maybe in her head, she already knew the story,” said the top official.
“In Cape Town, she said, no, I must see the stadium. Maybe she knew already, and she was checking out without saying anything.
“She wanted to go on the pitch, walk on the grass, see the dressing room, see the VIP and VIP VIP areas, where executives or council members are going to sit. She wanted to see the media facilities, media tribune and all of those things.”
Winners of the six FIFA confederations play in this competition and are joined by champions of the host country, meaning Mamelodi Sundowns could make their second appearance in the tournament should SAFA successfully bid for it.
You can read more exclusive content as well as interviews with Gavin Hunt and Lucky Lekgwathi and much more in this week’s iDiski Times.
