Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will take part in a mid-season tournament against Mohammedan SC and Sreenidi Deccan. KickOff takes a deep dive into the two Indian clubs.
In preparation for the second round of the PSL season, Chiefs and Pirates are set to entertain Sreenidi and Mohammedan respectively, in what has been branded the 'Connect Tournament' in Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium on 27 January.
The two Indian clubs are campaigning in the I-League, the country's second-tier, where Mohammedan are the current leaders and the only unbeaten side after 11 matches and Sreenidi are lying third in the same league.
There has not been any official statement from the tournament organizers on how the event idea came about but according to The Times of India, the South African Football Association (SAFA) sent invitations to Indian clubs to improve cultural relations.
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The official invite read, "It is for the first time in South Africa's history, Indian football clubs/teams will be gracing South African soil," according to aforesaid publication.
Mohammedan, who are set to face Pirates in the opening game in the one-day event, are one of the country's oldest teams, having been formed in 1891.
The Kolkata giants enjoyed successful eras from the 1930s but lost their glory from the 1980s up until the club was revived again in 2020 and got promoted to the I-League in the 2020/21 campaign.
Mohammedan have had notable players who would be familiar with South Africans, as former Pirates striker Fikru Teferra played for the club in 2018.
The Black Panthers also recently had former Cape Town City striker Prince Opoku Agyemang, who was at the club until the turn of the new year, where he has become a free agent.
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In contrast to Mohammedan, Sreenidi are a newly-formed team, established in 2015 and were only accredited by the India Football Federation in 2019.
The Deccan Warriors entered the I-League through the buying of a status and within a short period of time have captured the interest of world football after they partnered with Benfica, who have set up a base in India to develop players from the ages of six to 18 for the club.
Benfica's positioning and historic partnership with Deccan signifies the expected growth of the Asian football market in the near future.
