A report in Spain has suggested how much Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe has paid FC Barcelona for the clash against the Premier Soccer League champions.
Read: Barca Messi Cause Stir At OR Tambo
The Catalan giants arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning, and will face Downs in the "clash of the champions" at 6.15pm local time.
Local media had claimed Motsepe paid Barcelona a whopping R100 million for them to come to South Africa for a second time, but Mundo Deportivo, a publication close to the Spanish club, believe it was less than half that amount.
They claim Motsepe paid about €3 million (R44.5 million) for the game, and that it was arranged with the help of former Blaugrana player Jose Edmilson. The retired Brazilian, who made 96 appearances under Frank Rijkaard for the Camp Nou club, is the official ambassador for Barcelona's soccer schools around the world and reportedly a close friend of Motsepe's.
The report also stated that the initial proposal was for Barcelona to face Masandawana after the current campaign during their off-season, but this would have clashed with Barca's planned tour of the US.
As a consequence and after Barcelona were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage, both sides agreed for the game to take place this week, between the final two LaLiga match rounds.
Barcelona announced their travelling squad on Tuesday night, and brought all their big stars, with the exception of injured duo Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen.
Read: Barca Announce Squad For Downs Clash
It remains to be seen, though, just how many minutes superstar Lionel Messi will play after he missed Barca's 5-4 defeat to Levante – their first of the current LaLiga campaign – on Sunday and also trained only individually before the Spanish club travelled to South Africa.
Do you think Sundowns can upset Barca tonight? Have your say in the comments section below.
