Football

Egyptian corporate heavyweight scoops up Ghana’s Right To Dream

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SOPHIE BOUILLON Right to Dream academy players leave the pitch after playing in an exhibition match in Akrade, eastern Ghana, on June 30, 2016. - The Right to Dream academy, a football centre of excellence nestled in the Ghanaian countryside. In 16 years, Right to Dream academy has nurtured more than 30 professional players, who are now playing in France, England and Scandinavia. (Photo by GIFTY LAWSON / AFP)

Right to Dream academy players leave the pitch after playing in an exhibition match in Akrade, eastern Ghana, on June 30, 2016. – The Right to Dream academy, a football centre of excellence nestled in the Ghanaian countryside. In 16 years, Right to Dream academy has nurtured more than 30 professional players, who are now playing in France, England and Scandinavia. (Photo by GIFTY LAWSON / AFP)

Ghana’s Right To Dream academy has secured a huge investment deal from Egyptian corporation, the Mansour Group. The Egyptians have invested $120m to take charge of the academy, which was founded by a former Manchester United scout in 1999.

Right To Dream has brought out some 20 Ghana internationals since the academy was established by Tom Vernon, a former head scout of Manchester United in Africa. Notable alumni include Ajax Amsterdam’s Mohammed Kudus and Strasbourg’s Abdul Majeed Waris.

Starting out on dust-filled pitches in Accra, Ghana, Right to Dream has since seen massive growth – to the extent that the academy bought FC Nordsjaelland, a Danish top-flight team, in 2015.

Construction of a new site for the academy is set to commence in west Cairo this year, with the first intake of students expected as early as next year. A new professional women’s football team in Egypt is also expected to be formed.

The Mansour Group has a variety of business interests, ranging from energy and food to mobility and finance. In 2018, they reported a total income from investments in excess of $7.5 billion. They also created a unit, ManSports which will supervise investments in professional sports.

In a statement, the group appeared set to grow the current Right To Dream activities, too.

“ManSports … will now focus on establishing a Right To Dream academy in Egypt, and furthering the activities of the Right To Dream academy in Ghana, the FC Nordsjaelland club and academy in Denmark.”

ManSports is also intent on exploring “UK opportunities at club and academy level”.

According to Forbes magazine, Mansour Group Chairman Mohammed Mansour is the seventh-richest man in Africa and the 590th in the world. His son, Loutfy, will head ManSports. The Egyptian business heavyweights have secured majority control, with Mohammed Mansour as the chairman.

“Our partnership with Right To Dream is taking a strong African-born organization, with values that align to our own, and sharing more of it with the world to change more people’s lives.
“Growing the next generation of Egyptian football talent with aspiring boys and girls, and supporting the growth of our women’s team, is the most meaningful way for us to start investing in football,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Vernon will remain as the other ‘significant shareholder’ in the organization and will operate as CEO.

“Our expansion into Egypt and Europe is further evidence that Ghana can export its football values and culture, not just its players”, Vernon said.

Around 70% of Ghana’s Right To Dream students come from families that earn less than two dollars a day and around 25,000 players are scanned every year before being admitted to the academy. Many have also gone on to gain scholarships overseas, especially in the United States.
“I think the African youth are really lacking a lot of high-quality role models,” Vernon added.
“Hopefully our systematic approach can say that there is a conveyor belt of kids who are ready to lead and inspire. That is our definition of success – not how many players we can produce.”

Written by Sammy Wejinya

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Sammy Wejinya