FORMER African Footballer of the Year Abedi 'Pele' Ayew will miss tomorrow's African Legends versus European Legends at Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium.

Confirming the development in a telephone interview from Accra, Ghana, Pele said he is not travelling to South Africa because of other football commitments.

"I am not coming because I am standing in for Sepp Blatter (FIFA president) who is supposed to visit Ghana and Ivory Coast this Saturday," disclosed Pele.

"Of course I would have loved to play in this match because I was one of the people who supported this idea when Kalusha (Bwalya) just started it."

Pele said he felt sad that he will miss the game that will bring African and European stars of yester years.

"I am really sad," he added. "I am particularly sad because the last time I played a similar match was in the 1997 Meridian Cup in Lisbon and we happened to have won that game.