The three-day football scouting tournament organised by Africa 1 Media and sponsored by FBNBank has successfully ended.

The coaches and scouts said they discovered exciting football talents across age categories U-15 and U-17 at Ajax Park on the University of Ghana campus in Accra.

The football scouting tournament, which was aimed at unearthing football talents brought together youth and development football scouts and agents from Europe including representatives from Arsenal F.C. and West Ham F.C.

Some former Black Stars players like Tony Baffoe, Samuel Osei-Kuffuor and Yussif Chibsah were also Patrons of the tournament with FIFA High-Performance Specialist, Abdul-Faisal Chibsah providing the technical support.

The tournament featured a player education panel discussion on topics like the importance of education in sports, sports nutrition, how to train effectively as a player after games, how to manage your earnings as a player, the footballer and the law and what it takes to become a professional.

F.C. Raisa won the under-17 tournament and Sondisco F.C. won the under-15 tournament. An under-19 exhibition match between F.C. Raisa and Taking Over F.C. was won by F.C. Raisa.

At the end of the tournament, about 12 talents were selected from different clubs who will go on to be nurtured and coached to achieve greater heights in their football profession.

In a statement released by Africa 1 Sport after the tournament, the organisers said “this initiative sought to unearth football talents and to equip them with the requisite skills and knowledge in order to make them competitive on the world stage.

"Ghana abounds in football talent which, if harnessed properly, will offer yet another channel for our youth to get onto a more secure path for their future.

"At Africa1 believe that we are on the right track to offer a great opportunity for our youth and are grateful that our partners including FBNBank also believe in what we are doing to the point where they have shown equal commitment.

"This maiden event has been very successful and we are encouraged that it can get better. We look forward to an even greater support in the years ahead particularly because we aim to give each region in Ghana an opportunity to host a tournament and for the youth there to have an equal chance of being scouted.”

For FBNBank the tournament was an opportunity to deliver on the Bank’s commitment to supporting the youth of Ghana to secure a better future. This is in line with FBNBank’s declaration last January that “2022 is the Year of the Youth.”

According to FBNBank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Victor Yaw Asante, “FBNBank is keen to see a focused and well-prepared youth take on what the future holds for them.

"We are therefore very committed to contributing to making that expectation possible as it bodes well for the country’s development.

"Our partnership with the Football Scouting Tournament is one of the ways FBNBank is supporting the youth in their preparation for the future and this gives credence to our commitment.

"FBNBank is convinced that the youth of Ghana have the capabilities to compete with their peers across the globe and it must be a national imperative for all to make this possible.

"Growing up we knew of talents such as Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew, Tony Yeboah and recently, Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan who rose from the age categories.

"We are not seeing much now but we believe it is necessary that we see more of such players coming out of Ghana onto the world stage. We hope to work closely with Africa 1 Media to ensure that talents are nurtured and given an enabling environment to thrive.

"As a bank that operates in a country so passionate about the game, we want to ensure that our partnership will be the right ingredient to maintain and perhaps grow the love Ghanaians, our stakeholders, have for football.”

FBNBank has in its 26 years of operating in Ghana remained focused on putting its customers and communities first.

This, it has sought to do through the rich value and excellence of what the Bank contributes to the relationship with its stakeholders as a whole, particularly the customers.

FBNBank Ghana is a member of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited Group which is renowned for its great customer service and general stakeholder engagement garnered over its 128 years of operation.

FBNBank Ghana has 25 branches and two agencies across the country with over 500 staff. FBNBank offers universal banking services to individuals and businesses in Ghana.