Celta continues to strengthen its international commitment with a visit to Dakar, the capital of a country where the club has thrown itself into promoting football and social development. Representatives from the club traveled to the HAFS – Academie Celta facilities to continue strengthening ties with the academy and move forward with the ambitious joint project that began this summer.
This visit is part of the collaboration and sponsorship agreement signed last July between Celta and HAFS, with an initial duration of ten years. The main objective of this project is to promote the detection and development of young Senegalese talent, facilitating their future incorporation into the club’s training structure. In addition to sports-related work, the agreement includes academic and social training programs that seek to generate opportunities and foster an environment of human growth beyond the playing field.
President Marián Mouriño, football director Marco Garcés, board member Miguel Álvarez, and Álex Otero, director of scouting, made this visit with the aim of strengthening relations with the academy and advancing joint development plans. It was a very positive meeting that consolidated the connection between Vigo and Senegal and laid the foundations for even easier, faster, and closer collaboration.
As for the institutional agenda, Marián Mouriño and Miguel Álvarez held a meeting with Senegal’s Minister of Education, Sports, and Youth. They also visited the mayor of the Parcelles Assainies district, where the academy is located, as well as various key entities, such as the Spanish Embassy, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Cervantes Institute, with which Spanish classes for young soccer players will be promoted. All these meetings served to strengthen institutional ties, explore cooperation programs, and open new avenues for international collaboration.
On the sporting front, Marco Garcés and Álex Otero held meetings with officials from HAFS and other academies in the country, with the aim of gaining first-hand knowledge of the local competitive level and continuing to build a solid project in the area of soccer. They attended a tournament organized by the academy and also the match between Senegal and Mauritania, which allowed them to get a feel for the emerging talent and the soccer atmosphere in the country.
To top it all off, all the club representatives attended the final of the tournament organized by the academy and took part in a local celebration where they were welcomed with great affection. Some hosts wore traditional sky blue costumes in honor of Celta, at a party that merged with the Kafountine Carnival, one of the most vibrant cultural events in southern Senegal.
Finally, it should be noted that this project also has a very special emotional and cultural component. Last year, the club presented the documentary “Cielo y Arena: La oportunidad de soñar” (Sky and Sand: The Opportunity to Dream) at the Tamberlick Cinemas, an audiovisual piece that reflected the human, social, and sporting wealth of Senegal and its close relationship with Celta. Now, with this institutional and sporting visit, that shared history takes another step forward and allows the club to reaffirm its commitment to soccer as a driver of social development and a bridge between cultures, promoting real opportunities for young talent and strengthening its global presence with values and responsibility.
