Ethiopian Airlines sponsored African Nations Cup UK West Ham Memorial Grounds.

Friday 30th May 2014

Some 640 African-originating participants, all living in the UK, wearing the colours of 20 African countries, will provide a colourful warm up to the forthcoming World Cup on Saturday 31st May, when the Ethiopian Airlines' sponsored African Nations Cup UK (ANCUK) kicks off at the West Ham Memorial Grounds.

The event is the sixth annual edition, one of the biggest community football tournaments in the UK, supported by the Football Association (FA) and the first year in which Ethiopian Airlines has taken sponsorship.  The official ceremony will start at 0930 am with a formal opening by The High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to the UK, His Excellency Williams Nkurunziza.   At 10:05 there will be a minute's silence to honour those who lost their lives during the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda 20 years ago.  The national anthems and a photo shoot of the teams will follow.

The matches, including Ethiopia's first - against Morocco - on Pitch 5, commence at 11 am.

All the teams consist of 11 players aged 18 years and up who originate from the respective countries, although most of the players now live in the UK.  All referees will be from the FA. For the first time this year too the Tournament includes a Youth Side.  Countries represented in the under 15 years of age category include Zanzibar, Nigeria, Somalia and Morocco.

The tournament, being held in in association with The Metropolitan Police, Newham London, Essex County Football Association, Let's Kick Racism out of Football and the Terence Higgins Trust, is being supported by entertainment activities and will include food stalls, drinks, crafts and music from renowned local African DJ's and artists.

For full fixtures and detail see: www.africannationscupuk.com

Twitter@ @AfricanCupUK

The tournament will be supported by entertainment activities at the venues and will include food stalls, drinks, crafts and music from renowned local African DJ's and artists. Entrance to all football matches is free of charge with the exception of the final, which will be held at Barking FC home ground, Lodge Avenue, Dagenham, RM8 2JR on 14th June at 12 noon, where admission will be £5 for adults and £2 for children.

About Ethiopian Airlines:

Established in 1945, Ethiopian is the fastest growing airline in Africa, offering daily services aboard its ultra-modern fleet to 48 African destinations and very short connections through its Addis Ababa hub. Connections on the African continent include popular holiday destinations such as Zanzibar, Mombasa, or Kilimanjaro and schedules to growing business centres such as Lagos and Johannesburg.

www.ethiopianairlines.com