Manchester City player backs Airtel Rising Stars project

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has backed the Airtel Rising Star project saying the project is close to his heart.

According to ThisDay, the Ivory Coast captain, who was last week appointed the new brand Ambassador of Airtel Africa, said he wishes that the project could benefit the children it targets.

“First I want to say I am happy to come to Lagos for this project with Airtel. I was once like some of the kids participating in the Airtel Rising Stars project,” Toure told ThisDay.

Speaking in Nigeria during the launch of the fifth edition of the Airtel Rising Star competition, Toure further said that the project had met its set objectives and created opportunities for thousands of talented youth.

Meanwhile, Airtel Kenya is set to launch the fifth edition of the Airtel Rising Stars soccer talent search programme on Wednesday.

The program, which started in 2011, was rolled out in conjunction with English Premier League club Manchester United with keen focus on identifying and nurturing soccer talent from the grassroots.

The Airtel Rising Stars is an Africa-wide program that provides a platform for upcoming soccer talent under the age of seventeen to showcase their skills to leading scouts and coaches and have an opportunity to further their football careers.

In Kenya, the initiative targets boys and girls in secondary schools across the country in partnership with the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association.