PrimeMinister of Kenya launch Airtel under 17 games

Raila Odinga;Kenya PM

By Fred Maingi in Nairobi
 Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga on Sunday, August 20 lauded the organizers of the AirtelRising Star (ARS) for introducing the tournament adding that football is a rich industry that has created employment.
 

He said apart from employment, football creates friendship adding
that the countries represented in the one weeks tournament will get
the rare chance of bonding and knowing each other.
   

He cited world greatest players like Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka
and Van Persie who have become millionaires through football.
 

He made the remarks on Monday evening when he officially launched
the tournament at the Nairobi City Stadium. He was flanked by Sports and
Youth affairs Minister Dr.Paul Otuoma and Sports Commissioner Gordon
Oluoch.

 The football extravaganza brings participants from 12 countries in the
under 17 age group and they include Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar,
Nigeria, and Niger. Others are Congo, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia

The best players and teams that scoop the girls and boys trophies will
attend the soccer clinics at the specialized Airtel Rising Soccer Clinics
which will be run by soccer coaches from the Manchester United and
Arsenal Soccer Schools.

Airtel has two territorial partnership agreements with Arsenal and
Manchester United Football Clubs. The two agreements bestow several
rights to Airtel as the telecommunication partner in the selected
markets.

 

 Meanwhile, there were contrasting fortunes for Kenya on the opening
day of Airtel Rising Star (ARS) Africa Championship.

Kenya started on mixed fortunes at the inaugural Airtel Rising Stars
Africa Championship as the boys and girl’s sides recorded contrasting results.

 In the opening match of the tournament that by Monday attracted
12 countries at the

Nairobi City Stadium, Kenya 1 girls were in a class of their
humiliating Malawi 11-0 in a one sided encounter that raised the
spirits of the sell-out crowd.
 

Kenya men found their match when they were demolished 5-1 by their
Malawi counterparts.
 

In the Girls tie, Vivian Adhiambo was the star of the match staking
herself as the leading golden boot contender with five goals to her name with
Florence Owino also grabbing a hat trick for the hosts. Divinah
Barongo put her name on the score-sheet with Agnes Waithera making a
statement with two goals to her name.
 

 Malawi struggled to find their rhythm in the game as the Kenyan
girls ran riot.

Some great talents from two girls in the Kenyan team that had a great
start,” said Arsenal FC head of Marketing Angus Kinnear.

Manchester United’s Jonathan Rigby was full of praise for the
tournament adding that Manchester United soccer schools coaches will
be in Nairobi to conduct clinics for at least four players from each
of the participating countries.

“Manchester United is delighted at the opportunity to use its
technical capacity to help nurture the raw talent from Africa and it
is our hope that the (Manchester) United philosophy will be passed on
so that we have some of the greatest talents from Africa playing for
Manchester United,” emphasized Rigby who is the Head of Marketing at
Old Trafford.

In the boys opening tie, Kenya was no match against Malawi as the
hosts crumbled in the hands of the young “Flames.’ Kenya 1 boys
hopelessly failed to replicate their sisters’ performance as the
Malawians strolled to a 5-1 win to break the hearts of the thousands
of fans who had hoped to see another vintage display from the Kenyan
youngsters championship as the boys and girl’s sides recorded contrasting results