Pele among players lining up for Mandela match

Pele will be among a host of former and current international players turning out for an all-star charity match to honour Nelson Mandela in Cape Town this month.

World soccer's governing body FIFA yesterday named the first batch of players taking part in the game to celebrate the 89th birthday of South Africa's first black president.

Cameroon's three-time African player of the year Samuel Eto'o, French 1998 World Cup winner Christian Karembeu and former European player of the year Ruud Gullit are among the other participants.

"It is a great honour and pleasure for me to have been invited to participate in this tribute to Nelson Mandela, a living symbol of the fight against all forms of racism and discrimination," said Eto'o.

The proceeds of the match will all be earmarked for legacy programmes reaching out to young people in South Africa by using football to develop educational, health and social programmes.

The July 18 match, in which an Africa XI will take on a Rest of the World XI, is the second all-star game to be organised by FIFA in Mandela's honour.

On August 17, 1999, the Mandela African XI played an All Stars XI in a farewell match for the outgoing president of South Africa.