AfrAsia Barcelona Club: Elite 24 players back from a unique lifetime experience!

Monday 4 August

24 selected players from AfrAsia Barcelona Club have today landed on the island after having completed their one week of intense training at the FCBescola. In just a few short days of training there has been great progress in the players’ tactical awareness, their reading of the game and their decision-making when in possession of the ball.

“We return home after having lived our passion and a unique opportunity with greater ambitions and dreams to excel as footballers! It was an amazing experience and we have learnt high level techniques with the coaches who were strict but friendly and patient. Barcelona is a beautiful city and we have learnt many things about its history but the highlight of our visit was the Nou Camp stadium,” stated one of the boys.

David Callow, Director of Football First says, “Our training here at the Nou Camp facilities with the FC Barcelona coaches has produced astonishing results. This high standard of confidence and stature which the boys have reached must be maintained in Mauritius. We have been given very encouraging reports from the Barcelona coaches on the technical ability of all 24 boys but they have also expressed the need for regular weekly coaching sessions to continue improvement and understanding of the methods and tactics of the “Barca” way of playing. I am proud of all the boys and have witnessed the major progress in their football mentality on a pitch and travelling together as a team. The top 24 players have been proud and excellent ambassadors of Mauritius,”

The training week started on Monday 28 July with 2 youth coaches of the FC Barcelona and ended Friday 1 August. Present on the grounds, AfrAsia Bank and Football First attended the coaching sessions for the week in order to follow the progress made by the boys and ensure continuity in their training in Mauritius.

The theory lessons which were held along with coaching sessions included FC Barcelona history, methodology and tactical systems while the training sessions provided them with an in-depth coaching to further develop their technical skills as well as their strategic thinking on the field.

Youth coaches, Oscar Cespedes and Jordi Molà present to evaluate and train the top 24 Mauritian footballers have provided feedback and reported to their Football First coaches that the boys have excellent technical capabilities and will be focusing on their capacity to play as a team and develop their tactical decision making skills when performing a match.

“We are proud to see the 24 boys back with this one kind of lifetime experience. This is a first for Mauritius, as well as for AfrAsia Bank who enters the football sphere, and we are very satisfied for being at the foreground of such developments on the island. As part of our CSR philosophy, our priority remains children education and development and we believe this project is the perfect fit in identifying the great talents and giving them the required level of training, support and capabilities to transform them into more complete human beings reaching their full potential,” explains Kamben Padayachy, Deputy CEO, Head of Global Banking, Treasury and Markets of AfrAsia Bank.

Before starting their training, the boys had some fun visiting the famous and FC Barcelona museum a highlight for their trip and unanimously appreciated activity. They also had the opportunity to visit and tour around the city of Barcelona, learning about its history and enjoying the panoramic views and creative architecture.

“This opportunity offered by the AfrAsia Barcelona Club is again showing us how much football in Mauritius can grow and improve with the help of one of the world’s greatest clubs. The motto of FC Barca “Mes que un club” means “More than a club” and our week here has shown us just what this entails in terms of other values such as respect, humility and integrity. This is the inspiration that the AfrAsia Barcelona Club and Football First are bringing back to our island to keep moving Mauritius football forward!” explains Wilson Li, Football First Director.

In September 2014, the AfrAsia Barcelona Club will be establishing an FC Barcelona-style football academy managed and run by the coaching staff of Football First. By mid-2015, the AfrAsia Barcelona Club will then be seeking to secure affiliation with FCBEscola, the official football school of FC Barcelona. As of today’s date, only 12 such schools have been granted this honor worldwide and no sub-Saharan country has been afforded this privilege. A football camp with FCBescola coaches will also be held in December 2014 in Mauritius.

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About AfrAsia Bank

A REGIONAL BANKING FORCE WITH GLOBAL REACH

Strategically based in Mauritius and with representation in key markets, AfrAsia Bank Limited serves the Africa-Asia trade corridor, combining its strengths and expertise in three core divisions:

Private Banking and Wealth Management Corporate and Investment Banking Global Business

Since inception, the Bank has expanded through a combination of substantial organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions. AfrAsia Bank’s core activities are in Mauritius, South Africa and Zimbabwe with marketing capabilities in Singapore, London, France and Switzerland.

AfrAsia Bank Limited’s core banking and transactional capabilities are in Mauritius along with bank representative offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, its asset management arm, AfrAsia Capital Management Limited and its investment banking arm, AfrAsia Corporate Finance (Pty) Ltd as well as its banking company, AfrAsia Bank (Zimbabwe) Limited.

About Football First

Football First is a non-profit organisation established in 2014 with the sole aim of moving Mauritius football forward. The three founding members are David Callow, an FA-qualified coach, Wilson Li, a successful business owner, and Jonathan Knapp, a financial executive. Collectively they represent the Board of Directors and are assisted by David Jenkins, Principal at Le Bocage International School, Mauritius.

About FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Founded on 29th November 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que un club" (More than a club). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the world's second-richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of $613 million, and the third most valuable sports team on the globe, worth $2.6 billion.

Barcelona is the most successful club in Spain, in terms of overall official titles won (81). Barcelona was ranked first in the 'All-Time Club World Ranking' by IFFHS, on 31 December 2009,[5] and was placed on top of the 2013/14 UEFA club rankings. It is the current Spanish football champion and has won 22 , 26 Copa del Rey, 11Supercopa de España, 3 and 2 trophies, as well as being the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, Barcelona has won four UEFA Champions League, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, four UEFA , a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a record two FIFA Club World Cup trophies.

Barcelona is one of the most supported teams in the world, and has the largest fan base among all sports teams on all major social networks. Barcelona's players have won a record number of Ballon d'Or awards (10), as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards (7). In 2010, the club created history when three players who came through its youth academy (Messi, Iniesta & Xavi) were chosen as the three best players in the world, having bagged the top spots at the FIFA Ballon d'Or, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football school.

FCBEscola is the school model of FC Barcelona, exported internationally, with the idea of extending both the Barça brand and also to transmit the working philosophy and values of FC Barcelona to the world.

For more information, please contact:

Suneeta Motala Head of Marketing and Public Relations AfrAsia Bank Limited Tel: 403 5500 / 5 256 7545 Email: [email protected] Website: www.afrasiabank.com

Football First [email protected] You can also visit the official website for more information: www.afrasiabarcelona.com