Vodacom gears up for soccer tournament

South African mobile network services provider Vodacom has begun preparations for the annual Vodacom Challenge soccer tournament.

The company will officially launch the event, which will be held for the tenth year running, next month.

The company said in a statement: “The Vodacom Challenge’s tenth Year Celebration and the announcement of Manchester City ’s Tour details will be made in Johannesburg on May 4.”

The Vodacom Challenge is a football pre-season tournament that features Vodacom-sponsored South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs playing an invited European club in a round robin format tournament. Prior to 2006, the competition consisted of the two Soweto giants and two invited African clubs.

Initially, there were doubts as to whether the annual pre-season tournament would be played this year due to the staging of the eight-nation Confederations Cup in June.