Vusumuzi Dube
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
REAL Betis Academy arrived in Spain yesterday with the tour by the Zimbabwean lads getting off to an exciting start when they watched the friendly match pitting Betis and Manchester United last night.
The academy is on a 10-day tour of Spain.
Gerald Sibanda, Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe president, whose sports agency Athletes Sphere Management in 2020 secured the deal to be the Spanish club’s first academy in Africa, said they are excited about the tour.
“All week we look forward to intense training and assessment for our group, I am excited for all the 24 players but I also look forward to see how our Under-19 outstanding player and top goal scorer Nokutenda Mangezi (17) from Manyame Airbase will do during the week, also Tashinga Muzadzi, (17) (Gift Muzadzi’s son) from Prince Edward School and a couple more senior players,” said Sibanda.
“The Zimbabwean youth flag will fly high in Spain for the next 10 days at one of the biggest La Liga clubs. This will open many doors of opportunity and renewed hope to many youth players around Zimbabwe and many academies who are working hard to give hope to the youth through football,” he added.
This is the first time since the academy was established in 2020, that Betis Academy Zimbabwe is embarking on a tour of Spain.
The Murape Murape-coached academy is scheduled to visit the Real Betis headquarters in Seville for seven days.
The academy, which was launched in 2020, has been conducting training camps in Harare where former players, Murape, Tichaona Diya and Philemon Mutyakureva have been in charge.
Johannes Ngodzo and Gift Lunga (junior) are overseeing proceedings in Bulawayo.
With the support of its international business development department, Real Betis are pursuing a global education project through football.
Its objective is not just to develop new playing talents but to provide access to good education and fight against marginalisation and social exclusion in different parts of the world.
Already, more than 1 000 boys and girls outside of Spain have had the chance to train under the club’s methodology. At the same time, by arriving in new countries and setting up such projects, the club is in a better position to develop commercial activities in these markets and expand its brand.
The club plans to launch a series of new initiatives in the African country to extend the Betis brand in Africa. Initially, it will provide hundreds of young people with an elite football education programme. — Follow on Twitter @innocentskizoe
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