Nigeria may host the 2022 edition of the FIFA beach Soccer World Cup, organisers of the COPA Lagos championship have revealed.Speaking in Lagos yesterday while unveiling the programme for this year’s edition off the competition, which will hold at the Eko Atlantic on December 11,
Managing Director of Kinetic Sports, organisers of the tournament, Samson Adamu, said efforts were on to get FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to Nigeria, saying it has always been on the plans since the inception of Copa Lagos.
Managing Director of Kinetic Sports, organisers of the tournament, Samson Adamu, said efforts were on to get FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to Nigeria, saying it has always been on the plans since the inception of Copa Lagos.
He said, “Everything has been put in place to ensure we get it right. “We are planning a beach soccer league in Nigeria and with the experience we have had with Enyimba, Kano Pillars, 3SC, Stationery Stores and Pepsi Academy in the Club Challenge, we think we have the platform to make the league work.”
Adamu revealed that the African Beach Soccer Nations Cup, which will come immediately after the COPA Lagos, is part of the gains of the competition, adding that Kinetic Sports aims at making beach soccef part of the tourist attractions to Nigeria. As in previous editions, this year’s COPA Lagos, Adamu added, will feature a combination of sport, music, dance, fashion and celebrity entertainment.
He revealed that this year’s event will feature only three matches namely, the Club Challenge between Enyimba FC and the Pepsi Football Academy, a Celebrity Match between Super Eagles Ex Internationals and popular Nigerian celebrities, with the final game being between the Nigerian beach soccer team, the Super Sand Eagles and the National beach soccer team of Switzerland, led by Dejan Stankovic, 2016’s beach top soccer scorer in the world, with 63 goals in 28 matches.
“This year’s edition is a one-day event because of the upcoming CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which also serves as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualifier for Africa. Our dream is to make Copa Lagos bigger than just a beach football tournament, and a major spectacle that will put Nigeria in the global tourism space and promote beach lifestyle in Lagos,” he added.
As a prelude to COPA Lagos, Adamu said Kinetic Sports has lined up several interesting activities including a CSR event, tagged ‘Clean the Beach,’ which is aimed at conserving the beach, encouraging cleanliness in the environment and preserving marine life. The exercise will involve over 200 people, including football players, staff, sponsors and other volunteers.
“A Beach Soccer Kids Clinic, a training and mentorship programme for kids in Lagos State is also being organised. The initiative will bring together over 100 kids between the ages of eight and 14 years to the beach to play football with Beach Soccer Stars and celebrity players acting as coaches and will teach them the importance of sports for mental development and education. The exercise is in partnership with the Lagos State Sports Commission who will bring the kids from various schools in Lagos State,” he added.
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