Arsenal’s Lauren Mayer launches Airtel Rising Stars

Airtel Rwanda yesterday got the opportunity to utilize Arsenal football club’s merchandising, hospitality and content rights in Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, Uganda and Rwanda. This was after the African mobile network operator and the north London side signed a three-year partnership agreement at the offices of the Rwandan Football Federation (Ferwafa) in Remera.

Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) program is an annual, multi-country grassroots soccer initiative which offers young boys and girls in Rwanda the opportunity to play, compete and showcase their talents to scouts throughout the five countries and Africa as a whole.

Arsenal FC sent one of their top personalities and one of the Africa’s finest footballers, Lauren Mayer, to help launch the prestigious partnership. The former Cameroon international signed for Arsenal in 2000 and became a regular right back by the time the team won the Double in 2002. He was part of the “Invincible” side of 2004, winning the league 3 times in addition to 3 FA cups. Lauren also won the African Cup of Nations on two separate occasions with the Cameroon national football team. He now runs a coaching facility for young footballers in Spain, where he lives. Read more