The Ivorian economic capital, Abidjan, is now home to a football academy of the Portuguese club Benfica de Lisbonne, a flagship of fruitful cooperation between Ivory Coast and Portugal.
“This project is the fruit of fruitful exchanges between the presidents of the two countries (….). Ivory Coast is honored to host a Benfica academy on its soil,” said the Ivorian Minister Delegate for Sports and Living Environment, Sila Adjé Metch, who received a delegation of technicians from this Club in trip to Abidjan for the detection of young talents.
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Quoted by the Ivorian Press Agency (AIP), the minister highlighted the international reputation of the Benfica Club of Lisbon, indicating that this project is of crucial importance in the sense that it will make it possible to train young people, supervisors and athletes.
Through this project, adds the minister, the Portuguese club becomes a “reference” for young Ivorians and has reaffirmed its desire to be involved in the development of football from the grassroots to the top.
For his part, the president of the Benfica Ivory Coast campus, Diomandé Lancina, highlighted the ministry’s determination to promote Ivorian sport and more specifically football.
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Mr. Diomandé explained that it is an innovative project which took shape after several years of work and which starts with the detection of young talents, indicating that a total of 132 young talents aged between 14 and 20 will be selected, i.e. 22 per category.
Par Le360 Africa (with MAP)
09/28/2024 at 8:14 a.m.
