Coca-Cola South Africa has unveiled former Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana striker Hareaipha ‘Simba’ Marumo as the official ambassador of the 2016 COPA Coca-Cola® Which Part Will You Play search.
Marumo, who is one of the most lethal strikers in South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) history, will lead a Coca-Cola panel tasked with selecting players at each provincial final to form the COPA Coca-Cola® Which Part Will You Play all-star team.
Marumo commented, “COPA Coca-Cola® is one of the shining lights of football development – something which is close to my heart. I am thus immensely excited to be involved in the already successful Which Part Will You Play project and cannot wait to use this as a platform to help tomorrow’s football stars thrive both on and off the pitch.”
The former Inter Milan academy player, who has a proven track record in the development of young footballers, will also be leading a new addition to the Which Part Will You Play initiative – the introduction of the search for the Mentor!
In addition to the eleven players making up the Which Part Will You Play all-stars, a COPA Coca-Cola® judging panel, headed by Simba, will be picking one individual in each province who selflessly gives back to their team and who has shown the part they are playing in the development of young footballers in their region. These individuals will be recognized with the title of ‘the Mentor’ and rewarded by Coca-Cola for the contribution they are making to the development of South Africa’s youth.
Fetsi Mbele, Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience, Coca-Cola South Africa added, “We are immensely excited to have Simba on board for this ground breaking evolution to COPA Coca-Cola’s Which Part Will You Play initiative. It is important to not only recognize the stars of the playing field, but to also reward the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to enable COPA Coca-Cola players to be their best both on and off the pitch. Simba remains a mentor in the game to many, so he is a natural choice to help us find similar mentors around the country.”
The 2016 COPA Coca-Cola® tournament has reached its provincial finals phase where teams will battle it out for the chance to represent their province at the national finals taking place from the 23rd to 25th of September 2016.
With over 1.3 million teenagers from more than 60 countries taking part, COPA Coca-Cola® is recognised globally as the leading grassroots football programme in the world.
