adminLangton Nyakwenda
ZIMBABWEAN football talent will be on the international market when Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe’s Under 21 side play top youth teams from South Africa during a one-week tour of the neighbouring country early December.
The tour starts on December 3 and was announced by Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe founder and chief executive officer Gerald Sibanda yesterday.
The local academy, which has direct links with Spanish La Liga side Real Betis, will play the Under-21 sides for Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United and Jomo Cosmos.
“We are very delighted to participate and expose our outstanding Academy First Team players against some of South Africa’s best Youth Teams,” Sibanda told Zimpapers Sports.
Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe was launched in 2020 and by then it was the only academy linked with the Spanish side in Africa.
Real Betis now has links in Cape Town, South Africa.
“As we continue to grow and develop Zimbabwean talent, it is important to build synergies with competitive professional clubs within our region.
“We are very excited to showcase our talent and build long lasting relations with top professional clubs in South Africa,” added Sibanda.
Junior football development is still thriving in South Africa where most top flight clubs have well organized junior teams and high level infrastructure.
And Sibanda is also excited the local players will benefit from such exposure.
Last December, Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe toured Spain, in a historic visit that saw the local academy play Real Betis’ youth teams.
During that tour, Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe players also had an opportunity to visit Real Betis’s High Performance Centre.
The boys also watched Real Betis’ friendly matches against Inter Milan and Manchester United.
“We keep pushing for these tours because they give our players first hand appreciation of professional football set ups. “We believe this will inspire them to work hard and also earn professional con-tracts. It’s also a chance for these boys to market their talents.
“Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe has a number of good players whom we think are ready for deployment locally and internationally,” said Sibanda.
Online Reporter