Espanyol Academy players in Iraq prepare to participate in an international tournament in Barcelona

Baghdad - INA

The head of the international agreements department at Espanyol Club, Albert Saus, will visit the club's academy in Iraq on Friday and Saturday, February 21-22 (tomorrow and the day after) to follow up on the preparations of the Iraqi academy team that will participate in the "RCDE 1900" international football tournament, which will be held from April 18 to 20 at the club's sports city in the Spanish city of Barcelona.

The head of the international agreements department at the club, Albert Saus, arrived in Baghdad today, and will visit the club's academy as of tomorrow to follow up on the development of training projects that aim not only to develop local football, but also to create bridges between Iraq and Spain.

Espanyol is the first club in "La Liga" to have an academy in Iraq, which was opened in March 2018. In addition, according to its officials, the club continues to spread with a local partner through three official academies in the country: in Mosul, Basra, and Baghdad. The main objective is to contribute to the development of youth football.

The team that will participate in the international tournament in the under-11 age group consists of ten players born in 2014 from the Espanyol Baghdad Academy, and the team will be present in the third edition of the competition that will include 136 teams, and has become a landmark for youth football at the international level.

The RCDE 1900 Cup is the largest open tournament in the city of Barcelona, ​​and in addition to the participation of the international academies and schools associated with Espanyol, it also brings together a wide range of teams, providing a vibrant competition in top-level facilities.

The tournament has seen significant growth, starting from 40 teams in its first edition, to 60 teams in its second edition, and 136 teams in this year’s edition, and brings together clubs from all over the world, with more than 18 countries represented in the previous edition.
Among the participants in this edition are nine of the best youth teams in Spain, such as Espanyol, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, and Sevilla, in addition to the confirmed presence of the French club Paris Saint-Germain.