Johannesburg, Monday, 6 July 2009 - Paraguayan international striker Roque Santa Cruz who has recently signed for Manchester City will display his aerial power and physical presence against Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the 10th anniversary of the Vodacom Challenge in SA from July 18-25.

27 year old Santa Cruz spent seven years with German Bundasliga side Bayern Munich after which he moved to Blackburn Rovers, where he netted 23 goals in 43 league and cup appearances to be known as one of the shrewdest players of the season.

Santa Cruz, who is at his most brilliant in the attacking position, will play along side the likes of Irish midfielder Stephen Ireland (9 league goals this season), Wales international striker Craig Bellamy (8 league goals this season) and England international forward Shaun Wright-Phillips (5 league goals this season).

Manchester City has also recently acquired the skills of England international midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa (where he made 440 appearances).

The 10th anniversary of the Vodacom Challenge is expected to be a goal spectacle and no one is more thrilled about the prospect than the Vodacom Foundation, the visionaries behind the Goals For Miracles campaign.

This initiative will see R150 000 per goal scored during the tournament, going towards the South African National Council for the Blind, Netcare, and the Pretoria Eye Institute, to allow for cataract operations to be performed that will restore the sight of hundreds of senior citizens across all communities.

Tickets for the Vodacom Challenge are on sale at Computicket, Shoprite Checkers and Checkers-Hyper outlets nationwide.

The Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane will host the opening fixture between Orlando Pirates and Manchester City on Saturday, July 18 (15h00 kickoff) and tickets are on sale at R100 per ticket (main grandstand, unreserved seating) and R45 per ticket (open seating and unreserved).

The second leg of the tournament between Kaizer Chiefs and Manchester City will take place at the ABSA Stadium in Durban on Tuesday, July 21 (20h15 kickoff) and tickets are on sale at R150 per ticket (main grandstand, reserved), R100 per ticket (north and south stands reserved), R75 per ticket (east stand lower, reserved) and R45 pert ticket (east stand upper, unreserved).

The famous Vodacom Challenge Soweto Derby will be held at the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Thursday, July 23 (20h15 kickoff) and tickets for this highly anticipated clash are on sale at only R45 each. 

In the show-stopping final, Manchester City will face the Derby winners at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane on Saturday, July 25 (15h00 kickoff) and match tickets can be purchased at a cost of R150 each (main grandstand, reserved), R100 (north and south stands, reserved), R75 each (east lower stand, reserved) and R45 each (east upper stand unreserved).

The 10th anniversary of the Vodacom Challenge is made possible through the support of title sponsor Vodacom as well as PEP, Metrorail, SABC Sport, KwaZulu Natal Provincial Government, Eastern Cape Provincial Government and Limpopo Provincial Government.

For further information, please visit www.vodacomchallenge.com

ABOUT SAIL GROUP
• Through extensive insight and unique positioning, the SAIL Group is at the forefront of sport and entertainment marketing innovation in Southern Africa. Backed by our major shareholders Venfin Limited and Vuwa Investments (Pty) Limited, SAIL Group brings our clients’ brands into consumers lives by providing solutions in sport business consulting, sponsorship management, event and hospitality management, and merchandising. SAIL Group is also a private equity investor in sport brands and through its companies, SAIL Sport & Entertainment, CIRCA, EXP and Navitute the promoter of the Vodacom Challenge – a SAIL event.

Maggie Sekoto (Forever Marketing)
Cell: 082 902 3780
Or
Augustine Nethononda (SAIL Group: Executive Promoter)
Cell: 072 671 5862