Footballers Marcel Desailly and Freddie Ljunberg coming to Joburg

Heineken SA's marketing manager, Tjeerd Veldhuis, said: "We are extremely excited to be bringing out these football legends to participate in the Heineken Star Mansion events. As our campaign ambassadors, they play an important role in bringing to life the global nature of the sport and the intense passion for the UEFA Champions League."

Held at a secret venue in Joburg, the Heineken Star Mansion will offer a premium experience, where guests will not only be able to watch the games in comfort and style, but they will also be treated to Heineken's hospitality, ranging from games rooms, to walk-in fridges and DJ entertainment, to a selection of food catering for every palette. The Heineken Star Mansion will offer select consumers an exclusive, unique and highly premium viewing experience of the semi-final and final stages of the UCL tournament.

Heineken ambassadors for the global UCL campaign

The inclusion of the players is in line with the Heineken's global UEFA Champions League campaign, which will have Desailly and Ljungberg as Heineken ambassadors for the global UCL campaign.

Desailly and Ljungberg are both highly decorated footballers at international and club level. Desailly enjoyed a distinguished career with several major European clubs, including Marseille, AC Milan and Chelsea, and was the first player to be part of a UCL-winning team for two consecutive seasons. He was also part of the French World Cup-winning team of 1998, amongst other accolades.

Ljungberg was captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008, but will be mostly remembered for the nine seasons spent at Arsenal, ,which famously won the 2003/3 Premiership without losing a single match, as well as reaching the 2006 UCL final.

Veldhuis explained that the two footballers will host the Heineken Star Mansion launch event, providing commentary on the game. "They will also mingle with guests, offer photo opportunities, as well as talk to media about their experiences playing on the world stage with the best players on the planet," he said.