Arsenal FC offers to develop Ugandan football

By Swalley Kenyi

KAMPALA - Premiership club Arsenal FC will provide UEFA sanctioned tacticians to train youth teams as well as coaches in Uganda.

The club’s Partner Service manager Gordon Tannock said this yesterday while launching a three-year relationship with Airtel Uganda in a bid to develop football in the country.

The launch in Kampala was witnessed by FUFA officials, state minister for sports Charles Bakkabulindi and Airtel general manager V.G Somasekhar.

Under the partnership, Arsenal and Airtel will also provide tickets for local soccer fans to go and watch live games involving the Gunners at the Emirates, besides providing merchandise.

Airtel will, for the next three months, run a promotion dubbed Arsenal-Airtel Join the Club to pick the winners for the trip. Participants will have to send an sms ‘Arsenal’ to 154 at sh800 and participate in a trivia to automatically enter the draw to win daily prizes that include sh5m and arsenal jerseys.

Uganda becomes the fifth African country after Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana and Rwanda where Arsenal and Airtel give soccer fans similar opportunities as both of them spread roots in the continent.

Bakkabulindi, a self-confessed Arsenal fan, thanked the club and Airtel for the partnership saying that it will breed future Ugandan stars in the game.

But he advised the partners to also promote local clubs as well as The Cranes.