PepsiCo is considering negotiating with top international football stars to develop the regular Pepsi league for school students in Egypt, General Manager of PepsiCo North Africa Ahmed El-Sheikh said.
The move comes amid efforts to enhance the talents of young Egyptians footballers and enable them to become professional players in international clubs.
According to El-Sheikh, PepsiCo renewed its partnership with the Ministry of Education on Saturday for a period of five years. Through this, Pepsi hopes to emphasise the importance of cooperation, and broaden the ministry’s participation so that the largest possible number of public schools students may benefit from this successful 12-year-old programme.
El-Sheikh said the Pepsi league for schools, which started in 2003, has achieved many successes and enriched Egyptian, Arab, and international football with many highly skilled professional players who won many championships and titles. The most notable participants include Mohamed Salah, who currently plays with Chelsea, as well as Mohamed Trezeguet, Ahmed Hassan, Hossam Arafat, Hussein El-Sayed, and Hossam Hassan.
El-Sheikh added the schools league is one of the most important programmes that PepsiCo takes pride in. This is especially in light of the successes it has achieved over 12 years, as 800,000 students and 7500 schools nationwide benefited from the initiative. The programme was launched as part of the company’s social responsibility platform, which is based on a strategic aim to achieve sustainable human development.
Mohamed El-Tawila, Marketing Director of Radiant Sports said: “Through its 12 years, the Pepsi league has enriched Egyptian football by bringing around 51 players to numerous Egyptian clubs, and winning many championship titles.’’
