Durban — Nelson Mandela once said: “Sport has the power to change the world.” The World Football Summit hosting its inaugural event in Africa is another opportunity for the world to unite – this time through sport.
The World Football Summit Africa will be hosted on November 16-17 in the International Convention Centre, Durban. This edition will be the first time that the summit will be held in Africa. Durban was scheduled to host the event on March 17-18, 2020, but had to cancel due to Covid-19.
The vision of the summit, which was started in 2015, is to provide networking opportunities within the international community through football. The summit looks to address issues ranging from eSports to sports technology, women’s football, governance and legalities, and methods to increase fan engagement.
The summit will include representatives from over 50 countries and around 50 leagues and federations, including Spain’s LaLiga. Over 70 clubs will be present, including teams such as Spain’s Sevilla, South Africa’s AmaZulu, Egypt’s Al Ahly, and Botswana’s Township Rollers. It is expected to accommodate over 1 200 attendees and around 12 exhibitors.
South Africa will have high-profile attendees at the summit. The likes of South African football legend Jomo Sono will be present, as well as celebrated sportscaster Robert Marawa and Mamelodi Sundowns chairperson Thlopie Motsepe.
Internationally, the CEO of NBA Africa, Victor Williams; LaLiga Africa managing director Marcos Pelegrin; and Zambian Football Association president Andrew Ndanga Kamanga, among others, will be present.
The two-day summit comes ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar this Sunday.
Daily News