Liverpool FC to play Friendly matches in South Africa

Liverpool will play a post-season friendly in South Africa -- their first match in the country in nearly 20 years -- later this month, the English Premier League club announced on Monday.The Reds will face Ajax Cape Town at the Cape Town stadium on May 21 and Liverpool's chief commercial officer, Billy Hogan, said in a statement: "It will be fantastic for the club to return to South Africa after almost twenty years."He added: "We know we have a large fan base in South Africa which is rapidly growing, in the last eight months the number of South African fans visiting the club's website has doubled.Liverpool are the second most popular overseas club in South Africa behind arch-rivals and English champions Manchester United and Hogan said: 

"This visit is part of our off-season activity and shows our commitment to bringing the club closer to our fans all over the globe, no matter how far away from Anfield they may live."

The north-west club recently launched a special Twitter account for their South Africa supporters -- @SouthAfricaLFC.

Liverpool last visited South Africa in May 1994 when they faced Aston Villa, Cape Town Spurs and Kaizer Chiefs in the United Bank International Soccer Festival. 

Whilst on that visit, the Liverpool party also met with then South Africa president Nelson Mandela.

Liverpool, the dominant force in English football from the mid 1970s through the 1980s, have not won a domestic title since 1990 and are currently seventh in the Premier League following Sunday's goalless Merseyside derby draw with Everton.

Meanwhile Ajax Cape Town are struggling to avoid relegation from South Africa's Premier Soccer League.