As the entire continent awaits with bated breath for the kickoff of the 32nd Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), La Liga seized the opportunity to whet appetites with its biggest event yet in Egypt; La Liga Space – a custom made arena designed specifically to showcase the rich traditions of La Liga including the much coveted league trophy and through the process, drive engagement with fans of all ages.
In celebration of such a milestone, which La Liga described as the biggest event of its kind in the Middle East, La Liga brought two of its most prominent ambassadors, Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Morientes to Cairo Festival City Mall to open the three-day event as well as meet local and international media.
La Liga’s globally-famous star, four-time African Player of the Year Eto’o who played for Real Madrid, Mallorca and Barcelona in La Liga expressed his excitement to be part of the very first La Liga Space in Egypt.
“By hosting this year’s CAF games, Egypt is once again leading a crucial international and African event. However, Cairo’s previous experience in events of such level makes it an ideal choice and an exciting destination for all African teams,” said Eto’o.
Eto’o added that Africans in general and Egyptians in particular share genuine passion for football that goes into the details of their daily routines.
In a similar vein, Morientes asserted that La Liga is always keen on advocating Spanish football around the world with unwavering determination to create the biggest base of loyal fans outside the country’s borders; especially in Africa and the Middle East. This goal has been met through their pro-active global activities.
According to the former Real Madrid and Spain international, La Liga Space has already toured various countries around the world during important international sports events, such as the CAF19 in Egypt.
“This continuous effort gives many fans around the globe rare chances to meet their favourite La Liga players, know more about the teams and truly experience Spanish football,” said Morientes.
To herald the opening of La Liga Space, a press conference was held at the Cairo Festival City Mall where a coterie of well-known football experts and thought leaders including CAF Deputy Secretary General Anthonie Baffoe attended.
Fernando Sanz, Director of International Institutional Relations & Director of La Liga Ambassadors and Legends Project commented at the opening about the importance of the African football space to the La Liga project.
“Africa is a key market for La Liga given the public’s fervent interest in football and their continuous support of international leagues,” Sanz said.
Additionally, Juan Fuentes, La Liga’s Delegate to Egypt, added that this event is a milestone for Spanish football in the region.
The event was also used to highlight the contingent of La Liga based stars who will be competing for their various countries in the AFCON including FC Barcelona’s Moussa Wague, Real Valladolid’s Hassen El ID, Girona FC’s Yassine Bounou, CD Leganés’s Youssef En-Nesyri, Celta de Vigo’s Sofiane Boufal, Real Betis’s Aissa Mandi, Villarreal CF’s Karl Toko Ekambi, Real Betis’s Wilfrid Kaptoum, Villarreal CF’s Samuel Chukwueze, CD Leganés’s Kenneth Omerou, Levante UD’s Moses Simon, Deportivo Alaves’s Wakaso Mubarak, Atlético de Madrid’s Thomas Partey, Leganés’s Kwabena Owusu, Nastic Tarragona’s José Kanté, Málaga CF’s Munir Mohand Mohamedi, AD Alcorcon’s Aly Abeid, Málaga CF’s Alfred Ndiaye, CD Tenerife B’s Farid Mussa and Las Palmas Atlético’s Ismael Athuman González.
The La Liga Space will be open to the public for three consecutive days starting from Thursday 20th of June 2019 at 5:00 PM (Cairo Time).
Founded in 1984, LaLiga (Liga de Fútbol Profesional) is a sports association comprising the 42 teams that make up the first and second divisions of professional football in Spain. La Liga, based in Madrid, is responsible for the La Liga Santander and La Liga 123 leagues and the television production, which in the 2017/2018 season reached more than 2.7 billion people globally. The association also has an active foundation and is the world’s first professional football league with a league for intellectually challenged footballers: La Liga Genuine.
