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YOUNG AND AMBITIOUS . . . Joe Moyo (left) and Tafadzwa Dhliwayo will be part of young players from around the world expected to participate in this year’s Copa Coca-Cola international football camp in Paris, France

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
FIFTEEN-year-old Joe Moyo, who is one of the two teenage footballers expected to leave this morning for France to attend the Copa Coca-Cola international football camp from June 29 to July 4, says he is excited to be handed such a golden opportunity. Moyo, from Guinea Fowl High School, and Tafadzwa Dhliwayo of Gifford High will be part of young footballers from around the world expected to take part in the five-day camp in Paris.

They will be trained by coaches from Paris Saint-Germany Academy. The camp also focuses on life skills development and promotion of friendships. The young players are also expected to watch one of the UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-final matches during their stay in France.

Speaking to The Herald yesterday Moyo said he was excited to be part of the camp. “I was happy when I was selected because I have never been to France, so I am excited. We are going to meet different people there and we are going to teach each other different skills.

“When I started playing football I was very young, playing with my friends in the streets and as I was playing I wanted to be one of the popular players. But I never thought I would get such an opportunity. “And last year was my first year to participate in the Copa Coca-Cola and the experience was good,” said Moyo. Moyo was a member of the Copa Coca-Cola Dream Team that went for a regional camp in Pretoria, South Africa, last year.

“I have learnt that when you go for tournaments you should have discipline, play well and do your best and want to be a great player like Messi. “And I hope to be the best player (during the camp) and I would like to make new friends,” Moyo said.

Coca-Cola market activations manager, Vee Chibanda, who is the chaperone for the two players, said she is hoping the exposure will help the young players grow as they seek to promote talent development from an early stage.

“My hope for these boys is that they are going to learn as much as they can. I am hoping that when they get there they will mingle, they will be hungry for skills and they will associate with the best. “I hope they will go out of their way to go and ask and talk to all the people and understand the experiences that other players are going through.

“They will also have experts there, I am hoping they will be open enough and intelligent enough to seek and that they will be outstanding because there they will also choose the man-of-the-match, and there will be different awards. “I am hoping that we will have Zimbabwe as part of the chosen few,” Chibanda said.