Spanish agents in Arusha to recruit young players

FOOTBALL talent scouts from Spain are in Arusha, searching for future soccer players in Tanzania.

So far the National Spanish League (LaLiga), which showed interest first and the Spanish Football Institute (SFI) are in Arusha to recruit new players for their entities at the ongoing Chipkizi Cup, the youth soccer tourney.

Spanish Football Institute (FSI) through Director Pablo Verdejo said their presence in Tanzania, attending Chipkizi Cup, is to mainly recruit new players who will be taken on special sponsorship for sports trials in Spain.

“We are here to get some ideas and explain how we work in Spain, we shall combine that and try to find something good, promising players that may get opportunity to come to Spain play with some teams, we are glad to be here, the event is fantastic and the complex looks amazing,” Verdejo said.

His partner, Daniel Hidalgo says he will be participating in the tourney throughout the tournament.

It is all happening here as the 13th season of East African Youth Soccer Tourney, Chipkizi Cup kicked off in the city with aplomb.

More than 300 teams from across the globe, with over 4000 personalities are currently painting Arusha with soccer balls as the annual football event captures the city.

Alfred Itaeli is the Director of Future Stars Academy (FSA), which organises the East African Youth Soccer Tourney and admits that there are many agents from various clubs coming to identify potential young footballers.

“We have 302 soccer teams participating, from seven East African Member States as well as Africa and from overseas,” he said.

Participating countries include Kenya, Uganda, DR Congo, Cameroon, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zanzibar as well as others from outside Africa.