Record number of participants and goals in the XXXI Copa CAF de la Amistad (CAF Friendship Cup)
Close to 4,000 minors from 240 children and youths soccer teams from eight Latin American countries participated in the tournament organized by Academia Deportiva Cantolao (Cantolao Sports Academy), with the support of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America
(Lima, February 03, 2014). In the framework of CAF's SOMOS initiative, teams from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru played during a week in the XXXI Friendship Cup, a soccer tournament for children organized by the Cantolao Sports Academy, which ended on February 2 nd in the facilities of theVilla Deportiva Nacional de San Luis (San Luis National Sports Villa) and theForza Futbol of the Chorrillos Military Villa.
CAF's Friendship Cup represents one of the most important children soccer tournaments in Latin America, and is already considered in the international calendar of the Soccer Tournaments for Children, approved by FIFA and FPF.
After a week of competition, 2,633 goals were scored in the nine competing categories. This year, the new champions were: Academia Real Libertad de Trujillo (2006), Cantolao Callao "A" (2005), Lima Metropolitana (2004), Cantolao Los Olivos (2003), Team from the VRAEM of Ayacucho (2002), Cantolao Chiclayo (2001), Independiente del Valle of Ecuador (2000), Cantolao Federacion (1999), and Sporting Cristal (1998).
Medals, diplomas, and trophies were given by Dante Mandriotti, President of the Cantolao Sports Academy; Jose Eduardo Padron, CAF representative, and Victor Rivera, coach of Peru's sub 20 National Soccer Team.
Through the SOMOS: Sports network for the development of Latin America initiative, CAF supports sports activities such as the Friendship Cup in its share-member countries, to contribute to improve the quality of life of girls, boys, and youths at risk, through sports as a tool for social inclusion, and as an opportunity for low income children to become agents of their own change.
SOMOS channels resources for sports programs that promote values, education and life skills, social integration, gender equity, health and prevention of diseases, as well as inclusion of handicapped people.
Making sports and excuse for teaching values and individual competencies to girls, boys, and adolescents in Latin America is the main tool used by SOMOS to get close to academies such as the Cantolao Sports Academy and other centers that practice sports, to support them through a work methodology that develops the participants from a comprehensive point of view.
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