Former Arsenal striker to lead 'Protect The Dream' CAF campaign against player trafficking

Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is among the African football legends tasked with safeguarding the initiatives for the well-being and integrity of African football players dubbed ‘Protect The Dream’ that was launched by the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) on Monday.

The former Togo captain will also work alongside Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria) and Amanda Dlamini (South Africa) in raising awareness of the risks of player trafficking and exploitation.

‘ProtectThe Dream’ is expected to build the confidence of young football players through communication training, promoting the health and well-being of both male and female players, and working towards creating a safe and supportive environment for all players.

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‘ProtectTheDream’ forms part of a number of collaborative programmes spearheaded by CAF that are aimed at creating a safe and nurturing environment for young African football talent to thrive.

Earlier this year, CAF partnered with Mission 89 — an internationally recognised research, education, and advocacy organisation that fights the exploitation of young athletes. The partnership saw CAF conducting Safeguarding and Anti-Player Trafficking workshops with all its 54 Member Associations and Zonal Unions.

“This is an exemplary step taken by CAF in its fight against Player Trafficking. Football has proven to be a tool to change lives, including mine, and fake agents have used this knowledge to prey on Africa’s talent. It is therefore important that CAF, using the power of football, takes such a stand with the launch of Protect the Dream to safeguard the future of African football,” said Adebayor.

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Young and senior football players, parents, guardians and academies across the continent are urged to engage with the educational campaign, which will be packaged in various consumable formats, including conferences, workshops, videos, podcasts, and other engaging online content that will be easily accessible across CAF platforms.

CAF will soon announce its collaboration partners who will join the campaign in safeguarding the well-being and integrity of the players.