04 Feb 2016
Doha, 4 February 2016. Two years ago, a team of players from ‘Aspire Football Dreams’ triumphed in the ‘Al Kass International Cup’. This year, another team made up of players drawn from Aspire’s humanitarian football project will be competing in the tournament, facing Benfica and Kashiwa Reysol in Group B.
‘Aspire Football Dreams’ Head Coach Alexandre Garcia Canedo believes his players will benefit considerably from taking part in the competition. “It’s a great chance for everyone to gain experience and to see how we compare to the rest of the teams involved. I always like my players to give their all, whether on or off the pitch. This is an important lesson in life and a focus for what we teach them through the programme, since we’re committed to developing them as players but also as individuals.”
This year’s team from ‘Aspire Football Dreams’ is a mix of players drawn from ten different countries and born between 1999 and 2001. Some of the team have played in Qatar previously through their inclusion in the 2014 side, despite then being younger than their peers. Alexandre Garcia Canedo explained: “Some of our players were part of the team that triumphed in 2014, but we now have a completely new team shape, a new set of personalities and a new generation of footballers involved. I’ve said to the players that the most important thing is to focus on the games ahead and to do their best as representatives of “Aspire Football Dreams.” The 29-year-old Spanish Head Coach played for FC Barcelona until he was 19 years old, then studied law and business administration in Spain and the USA before returning to football. He joined Aspire Academy in 2011, first as a scout and later as a coach with the ‘Aspire Football Dreams’ programme.
For the players from the programme, taking part in international tournaments like this in Doha is hugely motivating since they mainly compete against local teams in Senegal during the year. “Being here feels like playing in the Champions League, and we are very happy about the opportunity to play against some of the world’s best youth teams”, says Captain Mohamed Katana Nyanje from Kenya. His teammate Aladji Issa Diallo from Senegal added: “An opportunity like this helps us all improve as players. I hope both to gain more professional experience, and also to be able to see how I measure up as a player against my peers from established and world famous clubs. My hope is that that this experience and my involvement in the programme will bring me closer to achieving my dream of one day playing for a club in Europe.”
Official tournament sponsor Al Kass TV will be broadcasting all games live both online and on TV with Arabic and English commentary. To find out more about the tournament and the schedule, visit http://internationalcup.alkass.net.