Electronic Arts South Africa recently paid an unexpected visit to Johannesburg-based football club Orlando Pirates at their training base in Rosettenville.

The publisher was there in recognition of the team’s inclusion in FIFA 12, and handed over complementary copies of the game to excited team members who will no doubt take great pleasure in playing as virtual versions of themselves in one of 2011’s best-selling titles.

Ralph Spinks, product marketing manager at EA SA, had this to say about the exchange:

“It was a real honor for us to be able to give the team a small token to show how much we value their sport and talents. We would also like to congratulate them on their latest win against Ajax Cape Town this week.”

“We really hope the players enjoy their FIFA 12 gaming experience and wish the [Under-17 team] the best of luck for the 2011 Future Champions Tournament in Belo Horizonte, Brazil from 12-17 December.”

Do you ever play as local teams in FIFA 12? Let us know in the comments section below.