African football legends El Hadji Diouf, Asamoah Gyan, Ahmed Hassan and Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha are the first names to be signed up in the newly established CAF Ambassadors program.
Football Legends, community role models and other popular personalities will form part of the CAF Ambassadors Programme. Their role will include promoting CAF and African Football, as well as playing an important role in other activities including tournaments, charity initiatives, and commercial and social events amongst others.
The criteria for selecting the four legends who are well-known public figures include but are not limited to sporting and career achievement, social impact and commercial value.
Diouf, a two-time CAF Player of the Year is fondly remembered for his exploits with the Teranga Lions of Senegal’s golden generation of 2000 which reached the final of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations and also the quarters of the FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
On the other hand, Gyan had a remarkable career rising to the captain of Ghana’s Black Stars, and featuring in seven Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the final in 2010 and 2015. His six goals from three FIFA World Cups make him the African with the most goals in the history of the Mundial.
On his part, Hassan remains one of the most decorated players in the history of African football, winning four Africa Cup of Nations titles with the Pharaohs of Egypt – 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He is also famous for his over 170 caps with Egypt, which ranks him amongst the most capped players of all time.
Nigeria’s iconic midfielder Okocha was a delight to watch during his heyday. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles in 1994 and also Olympic gold two years later in Atlanta, USA.
The Ambassadors Program is expected to open CAF and its activities to new frontiers with the inclusion of personalities from other fields, and also commercial benefits and social impact across the continent.
Through the continuous connection with legends and celebrities, the program will open up new revenue streams for CAF and also enhance engagement with fans and other stakeholders globally.
Meanwhile, CAF will announce more names that will form part of the Ambassadors Programme in due course.