By EMMA JEMEGAH
Kinetic Sports, organizers of the annual beach soccer tournament, COPA Lagos, has unveiled the first Lagos based beach soccer team – Gidi Sharks.
This is the first time in the tournament that local talents will be participating in COPA Lagos 2017, the tournament that is set to hold from the 8th to the 10th of December 2017 at Eko Atlantic City.
Swiss beach soccer veteran and FIFA Instructor, Angelo Schirinzi alongside National Beach Soccer Coach, Adamu Ejo, selected Gidi Sharks. The selected players will get the opportunity of a lifetime to play their first match with the European club champion, Arsenal Beach Soccer team.
The Talent Scout gave an opportunity to find raw talents and give them the chance to express their skills and beach soccer abilities. From Takwa Bay and Badagry, 10 players were selected from each location.
In an interview, Schirinzi said, “Nigeria has potential in football and it can be seen at every street corner. We intend to make them professional players.
Samson Adamu, the Managing Director of Kinectic Sport recently, said, “We brought in one of the best coaches in the world to scout for players in from different parts of Lagos. Beach Soccer is one of the fastest growing sport in the world and we are make an early entry advantage. I believe we have a good number of beach soccer talents, we are a country with a huge passion for soccer and most people have being played soccer on sand from a young age. Our goal is to develop a beach soccer league and we are starting with Gidi Sharks, using them as Ambassadors who will develop beach soccer teams in their respectively communities.”
This year’s edition of COPA Lagos promises to be a more engaging and fun filled experience for all.