Published on July 20, 2024 by Agencies for Kenya Online News
Last Updated on 2 years by Agencies for Kenya Online News
World Sports Health (WSH) a Kenyan based sports academy has organized and started a mini African Youth and Junior African Cup of Nations (AFCON) football tournament with the inaugural event being hosted in Tunisia in December.
The championship dubbed “WSH Elite Inter African Cup” will be held at the home of 10 times Tunisian Premier League cup winners and nine times Africa continental champions in Africa Champions League, CAF Confederations, CAF Cup, Africa Cup Winner’s Cup and CAF Super Cup Etoile Sportive du Sahel scheduled for December 9th-15th, 2024 (group 1) and December 15th-22nd, 2024 (group 2) in the harbour Port of El Kantaaoui.
The WSH organized Africa Youth and Junior Cup continental soccer tournament is Africa’s response to similar global international youth soccer tournaments in Asia, Europe, and South America.
“It is intended to compliment the good work of the Confederation of African Football (CAF),” said the event director Evans Chief during the launch of the tournament at a Nairobi hotel.
The Inter African Cup is open to football academies in the continent, in the age groups of Under 7, U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15 and categories.
The tournament is also open to junior national teams, Youth academy and school teams.
The fourth edition of the tournament will be held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2027 as the curtain raiser of the African Cup of Nations to be held in East Africa jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in that same year.
South Africa have confirmed as the hosts of the second edition next year (2025), Tunisia will host the third edition but subject to another hosting country expressing interest in 2026 before moving to Nairobi in 2027.
Teams that have so far confirmed participation are hosts Tunisia, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria and Nigeria.
Teams from Europe are expected to take part in the tournament owing to the proximity of the European continent to Tunisia.
During the launch, the Tunisia ambasadeur to Kenya Anwar Ben Youssef said they will facilitate a smooth process of issuance of visas to the participating teams.
The tournament director Evans Chief said the teams will be considered on a first come basis in the six different age group categories.
For registration and details teams will have to access the tournament’s official website www.wshelite.com.
The tournament is modeled under Gothia Cup, the world’s largest and most international youth football tournament. Each year, around 1900 teams from 74 nations take part and they play almost 5000 games on 112 pitches.
This list of notable players who played in Gothia Cup in their youth and later had been playing for their national teams includes Emmanuel Adebayor, the one-time captain of Togo captain, the 2008 African Footballer of the Year formerly English Premier League champions Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who stood tall between the posts for Morroco to emerge as the first African country to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-finals playing for Wydad AC in the youth tournament.
Others are Spaniard Xabi Alonso credited for guiding Bayer Leverkusen to their first ever German Bundesliga title as coach having played for European giants Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich
Italy’s World Cup winning captain Andrea Pirlo currently coach of the 1989-90 Serie A European Cup Winners Cup champions Sampdoria, Sweden’s all time goal scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, English Premier record goal scorer Allan Shearer and Brazilian ex international Ze Roberto winner of four Bundesliga titles with European giants Bayern Munich.
The organiser’s vision is creating an enabling environment to facilitate offshore soccer career opportunities for exceptionally talented players.
The other objective is showcasing the skills of African Football Academy players at a higher level under the same atmosphere and intensity that is experienced in Asia, Europe, and South America and providing a global platform to compete with the best football academies from other parts of the world on African soil.
