Mohammedan Sporting to travel to South Africa for friendly tie next month

Mohammedan Sporting are currently the I-League leaders.

According to the most recent update from The Times of India, Indian football club Mohammedan Sporting are scheduled to play a friendly match against Orlando Pirates on January 27, 2024 in Durban.

The Black Panthers will travel to South Africa in the next month to play the friendly tie as they have opted out of the Super Cup, which is scheduled to commence on January 9 next year, in order to concentrate solely on the I-League accolade. This decision aims to maintain the fitness and motivation of their players for the ongoing competition. 

In January, the football leagues in both India and South Africa will observe a hiatus. Both ISL and I-League will recommence after the AFC Asian Cup. Similarly, the Premiership in South Africa will be paused due to the scheduled 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.

Orlando Pirates is widely regarded as one of the foremost clubs in South Africa, having clinched the South African Premier Division title on nine occasions. Additionally, there have been speculations about a potential friendly match between another prominent South African club, Kaizer Chiefs, and another Indian club. However, no official confirmation regarding this fixture has been made thus far.

For the first time ever since 2002, football clubs from India will have the honour of playing on South African soil. Back in 2002, the IFA XI, a team with players from Bengal, engaged in two friendly matches in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, respectively. It is noteworthy that during this occasion, Alvito D’Cunha, a prominent player from East Bengal, received an offer from Manning Rangers.

The I-League’s current points table shows Mohammedan SC placed at the top, having secured 24 points from 10 matches, comprising seven wins and three draws. Notably, the team remains undefeated this year. 

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