Spanish FA president Ángel María Villar Llona (©Getty Images)Villar enjoys 'enticing prospect'
Thursday, 8 February 2007
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PrintÁngel María Villar Llona, the president of the Spanish Football Federation and a UEFA Executive Committee member, looks ahead to the sixth UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup later this month and believes the change in format will give the competition fresh impetus.
Spain will host the latest edition of the (UEFA-CAF) Meridian Cup, a competition that has been held every other year since 1997. As president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, I am delighted that Barcelona has been selected as the venue for this prestigious event. The tournament offers the enticing prospect of witnessing some of the best young footballers from Europe and Africa in action. Many of these young players will very soon be competing at the highest levels of our game.
The (UEFA-CAF) Meridian Cup in Barcelona will not only maintain the competitive spirit inherent in all football tournaments but will also promote the values of unity, solidarity, respect and friendship that result from working together as a team and which will be experienced here by young players from different countries. In addition to this spirit between the players, there will also be an opportunity for coaches from Africa and Europe to participate in a conference where they can share their experiences and ideas.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to UEFA and CAF for granting Barcelona the privilege of hosting this wonderful football event. Of course I must also express my gratitude to the authorities – the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Barcelona city council – for their co-operation, time and enthusiasm in making the new (UEFA-CAF) Meridian Cup a reality. I must also thank the Catalan Football Federation and FC Barcelona for their involvement in the project from the start, making their facilities available and working enthusiastically to ensure that the (UEFA-CAF) Meridian Cup 2007 is a success.
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