African football legends Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Adebayor and Amanda Dlamini, among others, will be in the driving seats of #ProtectTheDream, an initiative by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to “protect” the “well-being and integrity of African football players.”
In a publication on its website, CAF said the educational drive aims to raise awareness of the risks of player trafficking and stem the scourge of exploitation. It also said it is designed to build the confidence of young football players through communication, training, promoting the health and welfare of both male and female footballers, in addition to working towards creating a safe and supportive environment for all players.
The African football governing body highlighted that #ProtectTheDream forms part of a number of its collaborative programmes targeted at creating a safe and nurturing environment for young African football talent to thrive.
CAF said the idea, which was gradually introduced at a recent CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals in Zanzibar, Tanzania, will be anchored by African football legends, Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Amanda Dlamini (South Africa) and Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria), amongst others who will all play an active role alongside CAF in driving awareness on its fight against player trafficking.
“This is an exemplary step taken by CAF in its fight against Player Trafficking. Football has proven to be a tool to change lives, including mine, and fake agents have used this knowledge to prey on Africa’s talent. It is therefore important that CAF, using the power of football, takes such a stand with the launch of Protect the Dream to safeguard the future of African football,” former Togo and Arsenal striker Adebayor said.
“#ProtectTheDream forms part of a number of collaborative programmes spearheaded by CAF that are aimed at creating a safe and nurturing environment for young African football talent to thrive,” the football body added.
“Earlier this year, CAF partnered with Mission 89 – an internationally recognised research, education, and advocacy organisation that fights the exploitation of young athletes. The partnership saw CAF conducting Safeguarding and Anti-Player Trafficking workshops with all its 54 Member Associations and Zonal Unions.
“Young and senior football players, parents, guardians and academies across the continent are urged to engage with the educational campaign, which will be packaged in various consumable formats, including conferences, workshops, videos, podcasts, and other engaging online content that will be easily accessible across CAF platforms.”
It further noted that more collaborative partnerships to safeguarding the well-being and integrity of African players will be announced soon.
