Safa vs India in esports friendly

Safa has announced its first international Fifa eSports friendly against India on May 22.

After a good showing at the Fifa eNations online qualifiers, Safa has decided to create an international match programme for the national team to improve their competitive muscle with a friendly against the All India Football Federation’s national efootball team. This will be an online event the two most consistent Fifa players in the country won in their respective consoles and they will lead team South Africa on the road to Copenhagen.

Kaylan Moodley (18) and Julio “Beast” Bianchi (22) will be joined by Thabo “Young Savage” Moloi (20) as a third player and the 2019 team veteran Shiaan Rugbeer (22) will be back as a player-coach.

The match will be live on the #SAFAeDiski YouTube and Twitch channels with the livestream hosted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, as the latter launches its esports hub and the inaugural BayFive eCup on Saturday.

Safa CEO advocate Tebogo Motlanthe said one of the association’s objectives is to amplify the popularity and growth of esports in South Africa.

“It is with great excitement to host our first international friendly in this Fifa gaming platform, which allows Safa to cater for youth fans as well as increasing its digital assets with this national team. We hope to grow Fifa esports and create a platform for youth to dream of representing their country in a new format in football,” said Motlanthe.

The team will be playing from home for their camp due to the threat of the Covid-19 third wave. Fifa gaming fans wishing to follow the team can find further details on Safa’s social media channels as well as www.safa.net and www.ediski.com