FORMER Barcelona and Cameroon legend, Samuel Eto’o, says he is honoured to have been bestowed with an honour of being the ambassador of the new amateur African five-a-side football competition.
The 36-year-old Cameroonian player headlined the list of guests at the launch of the African five-a-side, which will be played in six countries – South Africa‚ Lesotho‚ Zambia‚ Zimbabwe‚ Swaziland and Tanzania.
This will arguably be the largest amateur five-a-side tournament in Africa.
To be part of this tournament, fans must form five-a-side teams and register to participate in play-offs set for February in their respective countries.
The winners of each country will qualify to play in the finals in Zambia where they can stand a chance of winning a trip to the 2018 Russia Fifa World Cup.
Eto’o revealed that he’s also used to playing five-a-side matches: “I’m involved in this campaign because Castle Lager and I share the same vision.
“Five-a-side is more technical than football played with 11 players.”
Eto’o, Antalyaspo FC player in Turkey, was impressed by the standard of Mzansi soccer, but feels there’s still room for improvement.
He said: “Few days ago I was watching Ajax Cape Town and Mamelodi Sundowns, the level is very high.”
Teams from the five participating countries will be mentored by ambassadors from their respective countries. Zimbabwe will be mentored by former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha, Christopher Katongo will look into Zambia, Jomo Cosmos assistant coach Siza Dlamini (Swaziland), Bloemfontein Celtic assistant coach Lehlohonolo Seema (Lesotho) and Ivo Mapunda will be taking care of Tanzania.
