NAIROBI, Kenya, September 9- Manchester United striking legend, Dwight Yorke arrives in the country tomorrow for a three day visit courtesy of the Airtel Rising Stars program.
Dick Omondi, Airtel Brand and Corporate Communications Director, disclosed that while in the country, the Trinidad and Tobago national will conduct a coaching clinic for the two schools, Upper Hill and Olympic High School teams, which will represent Kenya at the Airtel Rising Stars Africa championship slated for Nigeria next week. He will also visit Mukuru Kwa Njenga Primary school.
Yorke, 43, had a successful stint at United from 1998 to 2002. During the four seasons, ‘The Smiling Assassin’ formed a deadly strike partnership with Andy Cole leading United to an unprecedented Treble in 1999 after winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League that season.
Yorke’s colourful career at United , after arriving from Aston Villa, saw him score 66 goals in 152 appearances.
Towards the end of his career, he also played for Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland.
He launched his career in football management when he served as the assistant manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Yorke is currently an assistant coach for the Red Devils’ reserves.
Yorke’s arrival is a follow up to last month’s visit by officials from the English Premier League champions.
Led by Head of Marketing Jonathan Rigby, the officials attended the national finals in Embu last month to assess the progress made in youth football since the launch of Airtel Rising Stars competition two years ago.
Upper Hill and Olympic will be up against opponents from 14 African nations. The Africa championship will attract teams from some of Africa powerhouses in the under 17 age group such as Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, DRC pitted against upcoming nations such as Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Burkina Faso amongst others.
The tournament will comprise of a preliminary qualifying round, a knockout round and a final.
The Airtel Rising Stars is an Africa-wide program that provides a platform for upcoming soccer talent under the age of seventeen to showcase their skills to leading scouts, coaches and have an opportunity to further their football skills.
In Kenya, the initiative targets boys and girls in secondary schools across the country in partnership with the Kenya secondary Schools Sports Association.
