Meridian Cup draws near

Preparations are gathering pace for forthcoming UEFA-CAF Meridian Project events which bring together UEFA with its African sister confederation CAF (Confédération Africaine de Football) in Barcelona.

New departure
Between 26 February and 1 March, the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup and Conference will take place in the Catalan capital, heralding a new departure as the partnership celebrates its tenth birthday. The Meridian Project co-operation agreement was concluded by UEFA and CAF in Lisbon on 30 January 1997 to promote the exchange of cultures between European and African football and to offer young footballers a unique learning experience within the framework of a football festival. The project has been given a new concept with an additional educational focus: 'Training the Trainers', which concentrates on education in coaching, refereeing, sports medicine and administration and will benefit all of Africa's 53 national associations.

'Elite Player Development'
The five-day Meridian Conference will focus on the theme 'Elite Player Development'. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the local Catalan football association, FC Barcelona and the Barcelona city authorities are joining UEFA and CAF in organising the event. On the programme will be lectures, discussion groups and visits to training sessions involving the Barcelona youth team. Celebrating youth through European and African football integration is the aim of the conference.

Friendship and unity
UEFA and CAF national association youth-team coaches will attend the conference, together with representatives of world football's governing body FIFA and other continental football confederations. Guest speakers will also give presentations as two continents come together to exchange views and ideas, learn from each other and build ties of friendship and unity.

Two-legged match
A new dimension has also been added to the on-field aspect of the Meridian Project. The UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup - previously staged in tournament form - is to continue under a new format comprising a two-legged match between two continental all-star Under-18 teams. The matches will feature two squads of 20 players from 12 different countries, and three coaches from Europe and two from Africa, directed by the UEFA and CAF technical directors .

Coaching teams
The European coaches are all from Spain, with Iñaki Sáez assisted by Juan Santisteban and Ginés Meléndez. Africa's coaching team will be Frederick Osam-Duodu (Ghana) and Shawki Gharib Baioumi (Egypt). The Miniestadi in Barcelona - a superb venue in its own right alongside the main Camp Nou stadium - will be a fitting venue for the cream of European and African youth players to show their skills. The two games will be broadcast live on Eurosport.

Promoting the match
A variety of promotional exercises are in the pipeline for the match, including the production of "bandanas" - headbands, featuring the "UEFA Against Racism" message. The local authorities are also carrying out a concerted promotion campaign, with exposure for the match guaranteed in particular at the UEFA Champions League first knock-out round first-leg match between FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC on 21 February. "UEFA are very pleased with the local support and enthusiasm shown by everyone for the project," said UEFA's head of football education Frank Ludolph. "We hope that many local fans will make their way to the Miniestadi for the two games."

Stars of tomorrow
Iñaki Sáez said recently how excited he was to play an active part in the new design of the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup. "I'm looking forward to working with the continental elite players' selection for a couple of days," he explained. "These players can be considered the stars of tomorrow, and many of them already now have contracts with top clubs in Europe".