Arsenal have confirmed they will send a side to take part in this summer’s under-19 Durban International Football Tournament in South Africa.
Squads from European clubs AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray, Celtic, VfB Stuttgart will also feature, as well as South Africa.
Last year the tournament was won by Brazilian side Santos who beat Benfica 2-0 in the final at the 70,000 capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Speaking to Arsenal.com about the invitation Academy manager Andries Jonker said: “We are delighted to be taking part in what is a prestigious pre-season tournament for under-19s. It will give us a good test as we prepare for the new season and give the players some valuable experience.”
Games kick off on Wednesday, July 29 with the final on Saturday, August 8 – a week after the senior team return from their trip to Singapore.
It’s 22 years since an Arsenal side toured South Africa; an occasion Paul Merson recounted in his book How Not to Be a Professional Footballer.
“In South Africa we were introduced to this little black fella with grey hair.
‘Who’s that?’ I asked Kenny Sansom.
‘It’s Nelson Mandela, Merse. He’s one of the most famous people in the world'”
While we’re happy to believe that Merse is both ignorant and a bit thick, we’re slightly suspicious about the veracity of his anecdote. Predominantly because Kenny Sansom left Arsenal in 1988; two years before Nelson Mandela was released from prison!
Awesome, cannot wait!
“won by Brazilian side Santos who beat Benfica 2-0 who beat Brazilian side Santos in the final” Eh?
I’m guessing it should read “won by Brazilian side Santos who beat Benfica 2-0 in the final”?
U know almost everything arseblog
I hope all of our academy players have South African passports. A few of the local guys here seem to be taking some exception to those without lately…..
I’m less worried by Arseblog’s English in the article than I am by the fact that I almost certain that’s Song to the left of Theo in the picture used for the post of The Armoury window display! Here I was thinking that Arseblog was bang up to date…
Ahh, I see the original post has now been edited to improve the Eeenglisch. Just need a pic without a Barca reject and West Ham player in it now!
“Who’s that?” asked Merse
“That’s Nutty Nige Winterburn, Merse. He’s your team-mate and has been since Kenny went to Newcastle a few years back. Pint?” replied Mandela
Jesus Christ!! Durban is a ridiculously overpriced plane ticket or a 6 hour bus trip away from where I live but I’m genuinely considering pitching for this… seeing ANYTHING to do with Arsenal in real life would be amazing! Pity we won’t pull the sort of revenue to make a first team pre-season tour viable 🙁
Glad that this football team notices importance of the Gooner Community in Mzansi…We are the most unfickle bunch..CoYG
Wish it wasn’t so far though but like the gooner said anything that involves Arsenal is Good/amazing/Great…Fuck it all these words combined…
Soooo upset – this is some BS – why can’t they play in Cape Town as well 🙁
I live in durban ! I can finally watch some arsenal players
Merson sits on a throne of lies.
He was probably drugged to the eyeballs and saw Mandela in a dream!!!
I reckon Mere’s story is 100% true, and Kenny was bullshitting him about it being Mandela. Merse still hasn’t realised.
I’ll allow it
It’s always a source of disappointment for me as a Gooner from Northern Ireland, that Arsenal never send a youth team or teams to the Milk Cup here in NI in the summer. Widely regarded as one of the best youth tournaments with many big clubs sending teams there including Man U – it disappoints me that a club who have a long tradition of having Irish players, who come from a part of London long associated with the Irish diaspora, that they don’t support this tournament and give their many Irish fans the treat of seeing the future of… Read more »
That Arsenal dont send a team to the Milk Cup has always puzzled me. All of the other big clubs do, or have done at some point. Would be great to see an Arsenal team play in NI.
Good points, ones which I hope will be addressed asap. The main reason I became a Gooner was because of Liam Brady…
Awesome, now I know when to take leave from work. Come On to South Africa You Gunners
id like to see the first team squad in mzantsi. why dont dont come here, i dont know. even tottenham cam here twice i think. durban is just way too far from where i live(kimberley) if maybe the were playing in joburg
This is just a warm-up till they bring the 1st team squad to Cape Town for some pre-season games 😉 Mind you…jack and Szczęsny would def be caught smoking cause they’d be having too good a time ! haha ps. kust kidding, very unprofessional etc
Will be there. One day I’ll tell my grandkids I saw Crowley in the flesh…
For all the SAFFA’s that regularly read Arseblog, there’s a great Facebook group for us: Arsenal supporters of South Africa (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2939820547/). Get in! Maybe collectively we could make up the numbers to convince the 1st team to tour again?!