Team Kenya Departs for 2013 COPA Coca-Cola South Africa Boot Camp

After 4 months of topnotch competition that saw real heroes emerge from the shadows of their peers, the COPA Coca-Cola U15 tournament, Africa’s premier youth football tourney, enters its ultimate leg between the 8^th and 16^th of September.

A total of 148 players and 10 coaches from 15 countries are expected to arrive in Pretoria, South Africa this Sunday for a one-week boot camp where they will receive top class training led by professional coaches from world renowned South African premier football management business, Forwardzone. This will be the highest number of players to attend the camp after 130 from 14 countries participated in last year’s spectacle. The coaches will not only assist the players in improving their skills with the ball but also help them feel the ultimate experience of a pro footballer.

This year’s boot camp will see more countries participate including hosts South Africa, new entrants Kazakhstan from Central Asia, North Africa duo Egypt and Algeria as well as teams that graced last year’s edition; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, DRC, Congo, and Burundi. Others include Rwanda, Lesotho and Swaziland.

“It’s systems go for this year’s competition. We have put everything in place to ensure we emulate our successes last year while also adding more activities to ensure the players have an experience they will treasure in years to come,” said Christine Maina, Marketing Assets and Experiential Manager for Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa.

The 2013 boot camp comes at the back of a successful one held last year at St. Alban’s College in Pretoria where Zambia emerged champions with Tanzania and Malawi occupying the first and second runners up positions.

The Kenyan contingent of 15 players will be led by tactician Atanasi Wamalwa. The players include; golden boot winner Musa Masika, John Ochieng, John Ronaldo, Llloyd Kim, and Edwin Okoth, Patrick Ochieng, Ibrahim Ochieng and Ian Samuel. Others in the team include Zadock Ombewa, Joseph Luchenga and Richard Otuomo as well as Nathaniel Kadenge and Hassan Ali of Malindi United.

Murhanda’s danger man Hilton Isutsa and his compatriot Elphas Shiveka also made it to the 16-man list. The tournament will see all the teams play each other in round-robin basis at the end of which the team with the most number of points will be crowned as the 2013 COPA Coca-Cola Africa champions.

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