Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Students from six African countries will meet Taiwanese counterparts in friendly soccer games in Taipei on May 15 to highlight the May 25 "Africa Day" and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.
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 Chen Shih-liang, director of MOFA's Department of African Affairs.
Scheduled for May 15 at National Taiwan University, the friendlies will open with a match between MOFA 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.
South Africa has offered a 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, so fans traveling there will be able to enjoy expedited customs clearance service, Chen said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc