Students from six African countries will meet their Taiwanese counterparts in friendly soccer games in Taipei on Saturday to celebrate May 25 “Africa Day” and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The friendly meet is one of a series of events the ministry is organizing to celebrate “Africa Week,” which has added importance this year because it is the 50th anniversary of independence for many African countries, said Samuel Chen (陳士良), director of the ministry's Department of African Affairs.
The friendlies will be held at National Taiwan University and will open with a match between ministry officials and a team consisting of officials from various African embassies and representative offices in Taiwan. Later, teams of students from Burkina Faso, Gambia, Swaziland and Sao Tome and Principe — Taiwan's four diplomatic allies in Africa — and a mixed team of South African and Nigerian students will play local university teams, Chen said.
Chen said that South Africa has introduced a special 90-day “event visa” for those holding tickets to the 2010 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. Fans traveling to South Africa for the games will be able to enjoy expedited customs clearance and the special visa is free of charge.
He reminded people planning to watch matches in South Africa about the changeable weather conditions and the flu pandemic, saying that the ministry's offices in Cape Town is ready to help any nationals who encounter problems while traveling to the tournament.
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