Royal Air Maroc to sponsor African Nations Cup UK

The airline is sponsoring the grassroots football tournament, which sees twenty teams formed from the African communities in the UK compete against each other over the course of a week.

The twenty teams represent Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Sao Tome, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe, with Cameroon winning the cup last year.

“With 20 teams taking part this year, we're extremely proud to sponsor what has become the foremost grassroots football event for the African diaspora in the UK and a tool for supporting community cohesion,” said Achraf El Hassani, general manager, Royal Air Maroc UK & Ireland.

“African Nations Cup UK started in 2009, with only eight countries participating. This is the sixth year we have run the football tournament and its popularity continues to grow every year,” said Dennis Kirunda Mahadha, founder of ANCUK, who was awarded in 2013 by Prince William and Grek Dyke, chairman of the Football Association for developing grassroots football.

The final will be held at the Terence McMillan Stadium in Newham, London.