SL Benfica and FocuSport FC sign technical partnership

Sport Lisboa e Benfica and FocuSport FC have signed a five-year technical partnership that aims to develop more than 100 young players from Burkina Faso using the club's youth development methodology.

The ceremony to formalize this partnership took place at FocuSport FC's headquarters in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The local authorities' strong support for the project was evident in the presence of Roland Smoda (Burkina Faso's sports minister) and Oumarou Sawadodo (president of the country's football federation) at the event.

Built from scratch as part of the partnership, the club's academy facilities will provide differentiating conditions for the development of athletes in the local context, as explained by Davide Gomes, Benfica's technical coordinator for international projects. "We have our technical team in place. We are now going to start the selection process to choose more than 100 athletes who will stay at our facilities. They will have dormitories in the academy, which was built from scratch just for this purpose. We have a gym, swimming pool, cafeteria and a new pitch. The athletes will be selected and sleep at the academy, on a boarding basis, then we'll start working with them and developing them throughout the year," he revealed.

Miguel Reis, Benfica's global coordinator for international expansion, was pleased to see the implementation of yet another partnership that he sees as a “great success” and spoke of yet another important chapter in a methodology that has proven to be successful. "We're working with the club so that, over the next five years, we have a permanent Benfica coaching team working and implementing the Benfica methodology, with the hope of developing athletes of the future. We're working with an entire country, mobilized around what is the Benfica academy and the successful methodology that we've been able to transmit to African territories. I think it's already a proven system, it's consolidated, there's knowledge, and so the take-up is massive," he claimed.

Benfica's presence in Ouagadougou was widely welcomed by Narcisse Yaméogo, FocuSport FC's technical advisor. Familiar with the strength and greatness of the club from his many seasons in Portugal as a player, the former Burkina Faso international couldn't hide his excitement at the signing of this partnership: "Our desire, and we've already spoken to the Minister for Sport and the president of the federation, is to work the players with Benfica's help to get them to the national team. It's with great honor and pride that I welcome Benfica to my country."

The possibility of using this partnership as a lever for the growth of local football was also highlighted by Izouma Sidibe, president of FocuSport FC. "We are convinced that Benfica's support will be very, very important not only for the FocuSport academy, but for the whole of Burkina Faso. Because, for sure, we're going to have players of international quality coming out of this academy, who are going to strengthen and give quality to the club, the league and the national team," he said. "The project has been received favorably by everyone. Everyone is happy with this partnership, and we think it's the start of a great adventure that will be talked about for many years to come. With everyone's help and, above all, with Benfica's help, we're going to do wonders here in Burkina Faso," added the leader.