African football Fantasy League launched

Standard Bank's/Stanbic Bank's AFCON Fantasy League is the first to be linked to the major African football tournament. Fantasy teams can be made up of players from any of the 16 nations participating in the event. Fantasy League managers have some of the biggest names in world football available for selection, including Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Joseph Yobo, Saloman Kalou, Emmanuel Eboue, Samuel Eto'o and Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Standard Bank/Stanbic Bank Fantasy League, which went live on Thursday, 17 Dcember 2009, is the latest offering the bank has created for clients, which includes TV and radio shows, as well as the dedicated AFCON web and WAP platforms, the sites that will host the Fantasy League.

The Fantasy League will be available to both online and mobile users. Fantasy managers can select their team by via www.standardbank.com/afcon or the WAP site m.standardbank.com/afcon

The game allows fans to test their selection skills and football knowledge against other fans around the world. It involves the selection of a virtual team related to a real-life sports event. The aim is to manage this team over the course of the AFCON tournament. Managers score points based on the actual real-world performance of the players they have picked in their team.

League managers also stand a chance to win cash prizes, with prize money available for round winners as well as the overall top three managers. Cash prizes will be paid in US dollars.

“The Fantasy League is just another way to reinforce our celebration of African pride and passion for football. This unique offering will ensure that this event will be one of the most memorable tournaments this continent has ever had. We hope that this platform for fans to connect with the game and engage with each other will be something that will really excite all African football supporters,” says Bellinda Carreira, senior manager for online and direct marketing, Standard Bank.

Visitors to the sites will be able to access information such as fixture times and dates, results, logs, profiles of key players, video snippets of interviews with players, and regularly updated news.

“Standard Bank is committed to football on the continent and is constantly seeking ways to make meaningful connections with our customers, stakeholders and staff through our shared passion for African football,” says Clement Motale, director group sponsorships, Standard Bank.

“Our 150-year association with Africa and current operations on the continent put us in the ideal position to help uplift African football to reach its full potential. We are confident that football fans on the continent will be eager to join in sharing our excitement as we showcase our football heroes, our beautiful continent, and our ability to host world-class events.”