CAIRO: Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, a former Manchester and Denmark International goalkeeper who won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League during a trophy-laden eight-year spell at Old Trafford, was appointed as a club ambassador last month and joined an elite group of former players such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Dwight Yorke, Bryan Robson, Gary Neville, and Andy Cole in promoting the club globally. He will attend the final matches of the first-ever Airtel Rising Stars Africa Championship on the 25th of August in Nairobi. His tour is part of an exclusive partnership between Airtel and Manchester United in several African countries. Part of the partnership agreement enables Airtel to tap into the technical expertise provided by the club through Manchester United Soccer Schools (MUSS) managed clinics. The clinics are focused on providing an innovative and specialized training program that harnesses the natural capabilities of each of the selected young talents from several African countries. Speaking about the planned visit, Airtel Africa's Chief Marketing officer, Andre Beyers said: “The Airtel Rising Stars program was structured to provide a platform for upcoming talent to showcase their raw talent and improve through interaction with coaches and top players. We are delighted that Manchester United has provided the opportunity for Africa's future stars to interact with a soccer icon of Schmeichel's stature and experience." Commenting on the Airtel Rising Stars program Manchester United's Commercial Director, Richard Arnold said: “We are pleased to be able to team up with Airtel Africa to bring this fantastic project to the Africa. Now in its second year we hope that the program has gone to enthuse some of Manchester United's 147 million followers across Africa. I am sure the introduction of an intercontinental tournament and the presence of Peter Schmeichel at the first ever Airtel Rising Stars Africa Championship final will be an inspirational experience. Its popularity has seen the number of registrations overtake those of last year's tournament, demonstrating the strength of the Airtel and Manchester United partnership." At the same time, Manchester United Soccer Schools have named the four coaches who will manage the coaching clinic in Nairobi. The named coaches are; Mathew Gregory, Michael Beckham, Stuart McClarty and Steve Nixon. This is the second Soccer Clinic organized by Airtel and managed by the Manchester United Soccer Schools program. The first clinic program took place last year in Dar es salaam, Tanzania and Libreville, Gabon. The clinic offers the budding stars with the requisite training to help them achieve their optimum level whilst learning to play the Manchester United way.
