Future II from Nigeria Wins MoneyGram G.O.A.L.

40 teams representing 12 African nations competed in the first edition of football tournament

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MoneyGram Guangzhou Open African League (G.O.A.L.), a five-a-side football tournament, ended with Future II, a team from Nigeria, winning the inaugural MoneyGram G.O.A.L. title. The finals were played after two weekends of qualifying rounds with 40 teams. The finals saw the top eight teams battling to take home the trophy and first prize of 2,000 USD.

"This tournament was amazing as we have never had a structured sporting event with such a great prize for the African community living here in China," said Joseph Turkson, captain of the winning team Future II. "The teams competed fiercely to win the title and we just did it! We are extremely grateful to MoneyGram for bringing this initiative to Guangzhou and we look forward to next year's edition. For sure we will be back to defend our title."

The tournament has taken the African community by storm with its popularity and the number of participants had to be extended to account for all the teams that wanted to participate. Each week the ACT Club was turned into a carnival of African Football with teams from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Niger and Congo competing for the prestigious trophy and numerous spectators watching the games.

"This tournament has clearly shown the community and MoneyGram's passion for the game of football and it has surpassed our wildest expectations with so many teams participating," said Andy Liu, senior director, China & Mongolia at MoneyGram. "The players showcased excellent skills and we look forward to growing this tournament further in Guangzhou next year."

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