Olympics
Senegal sent to Coventry for Olympic 2012 qualifier

Buy photos » Dave Long and Dion Dublin back at the Ricoh Arena which will be hosting Olympic football THIS year. (S)

THE CITY of Coventry stadium will host 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal when the final qualifying place in this year's men's Olympic Football Tournament is up for grabs in April.

Senegal's participation is already confirmed after they finished in fourth place in the African qualifying competition and their opponents will be the fourth-placed team from the Asian qualifying section, which could be Australia, Japan or Korea Republic.

The play-off match will be held in Coventry on April 23 and has also been selected to serve as an official test event.

Highly rated captain Stephane Badji will be looking to fire the West Africans towards their first ever Men’s Olympic Football appearance and with Newcastle's Demba Ba also likely to be on show, the match looks set to be one of the more popular test events held across the UK.

"This will be a great chance for football fans from the region to see exciting young internationals in action in Coventry," said Justine Hewitt, events manager at the City of Coventry Stadium

"We hope as many football fans as possible will come along to watch the game in April – a crucial match for both sides as they fight it out for London 2012 qualification.

"This is all part of our build-up to London 2012 and the excitement is certainly growing since this is a great opportunity to see international football in action at an Olympic venue.

"This is also a chance for all the procedures and systems to be fully tested before we host 12 matches during the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in July and August."

Kick off for the eagerly anticipated match is 7.45pm and tickets for the game are now on sale.

Tickets are available at theticketfactory.com/footballtournamentqualification or by telephoning 0844 338 800, and from ticketmaster.co.uk or by telephoning 0844 277 0700.

Hospitality packages for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Qualification Play-Off Match are also available from £20 and can be purchased by calling 0844 873 6323 or emailing loft@ccfc.co.uk