The Castle of San José hosted this Thursday the presentation of a new sporting event that will be held in June 2024: the 'Lanzarote International Cup' (LIC), whose staging surprised those summoned with the special reception of 22 athletes aged 11 from the world of island soccer, who welcomed the guests who were accessing through a corridor of lights and flags while the logos of the event were projected on the facade of the fortress and ambient music was playing outside.
Pedro Cabrera from Lanzarote opened the event as organizer, thanking, first of all, the involvement of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa "which, from the first moment, knew how to understand the sporting scope,
social and economic of 'Lanzarote International Cup'". "Thank you very much to the Cabildo for its participation and for the willingness shown by Oswaldo Betancort, and to all those public and private institutions so that Lanzarote can have one of the best international youth soccer tournaments," added Cabrera on behalf of Player 12 Global Sports.
Next, Mercedes Pérez, as director of the event, conveyed to the public what this competition will mean for Lanzarote, which, in addition to being nominated as a "macro sporting event" of international impact, will transmit
values of "inclusivity and fair play", and will attract "thousands of people" around an experience that goes beyond soccer. On the other hand, the sports director of the event, Paco Lobato, offered all the sports details and the development of the competition, which will be soccer in all its expression and will feature the boys and girls who tomorrow will be professional players. He also highlighted that teams from Mexico, Guatemala, the United States, and Japan, among others, will participate.
Next, the coach José Luis Mendilibar and the soccer players Miguel Ángel Ferrer (Mista) and Jonathan Sesma, who attended in support of the first 'Lanzarote International Cup', participated as sponsors of the event. Subsequently, a video of soccer players encouraging participation in the LIC was shown. The round of speeches was closed by the president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, greeting the organizers, the Minister of Sports, Juan
Monzón and the guests Mendilibar, Mista and Sesma thanking them for their presence, as well as the attending public. Betancort began by saying that he is "especially excited" to present this event, "because it is the first edition of a soccer tournament that has guaranteed success and institutional support. It is an ambitious and not easy bet to organize, but that is why I want to value the initiative as this one on the island: a Youth Soccer World Cup that will be a reality in June 2024".
"Having more than a thousand children from the benjamín and alevín categories, between 8 and 11 years old, in Lanzarote is a challenge for the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa that I preside over is willing to face, and in which we will participate and
we will collaborate. I also congratulate all the local public entities, and their representatives for joining efforts to make it happen with the support of the private sector as well".
"The 'Lanzarote Internacional Cup' aims to turn, with all the success in the world, the entire island of Lanzarote as the sole venue for this competition in which 82 Canarian, national and international teams will participate, which will play their matches also in the fields of the seven municipalities of the island".
Lanzarote International Cup
'Lanzarote International Cup' is an international youth soccer tournament, where the best teams, both national and international, participate, and whose stadium is Lanzarote. It is organized by the Cabildo de Lanzarote and Player 12 Global Sports. S.L.
It is intended to show the landscape, gastronomy, the idiosyncrasy and customs of the island, to people from many different places in the world, through soccer and sports. 'Lanzarote International Cup' will be developed by the seven municipalities of the island, involving the entire society of Lanzarote. It will be held from June 26 to 30, 2024, with the participation of the benjamín (2014-2015) and alevín (2012-2013) categories.
The first edition will have 82 participating teams with 1,300 athletes and technicians, who will be joined by 2,600 companions, and will be played in fields of the seven municipalities of Lanzarote, each venue will have a sponsor. In addition to a wide participation of Canarian teams, there is participation of clubs in the Spanish league, such as Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Valencia, Villarreal, Las Palmas, Tenerife... And internationally, the participation of Arsenal, Oporto, and teams from the USA, Mexico, Japan, Greece, among others, is being closed.
The sports sponsors of the event
José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria (Zaldivar, March 14, 1961) is a former Spanish soccer player and coach, he played as a forward. He is currently free after his dismissal from Sevilla F.C. of the Spanish first division, with which he was crowned champion of the European League against La Roma in 2023. As a player, he never played with the first team of Athletic Club, nor in the first division.
As a coach he worked at CD Arratia and then in the lower categories of Athletic Club and in 2002 he arrived at UD Lanzarote, where he coached for two seasons, in which he competed for promotion to the second division. In the 2003-2004 season he completed the best season in the history of the club, being champion of the regular season of second B. Mendilibar has said in some interview that "Lanzarote was his definitive step to become a professional coach".
Later he would coach Eibar, in two different seasons, Athletic Club, Valladolid, Osasuna, Levante, Alavés and Sevilla. Miguel Ángel Ferrer Martínez (Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia, November 12, 1978), known sportingly as Mista, is a former Spanish soccer player and coach. He is currently the coach of Atlético Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League.
As a coach he has directed lower categories of Valencia and Rayo Vallecano. In February 2020, he became coach of Atlético Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League.7 In December 2021, he left the position by mutual agreement with the club.
Jonathan Sesma González (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, November 14, 1978) is a Spanish soccer player. He plays as a left winger or striker, currently in the C.D. Águilas of the Regional Preferente of Tenerife. Trajectory Formed soccerly on the island of Fuerteventura he went through several clubs of Segunda División B, among them AD Ceuta until giving the jump to Segunda División with the Universidad de Las Palmas, being later transferred to Córdoba CF, where he only stayed one year.
Later, he returned to Uni in Segunda B, played in Cádiz with which he was promoted to Primera División, reaching his greatest professional growth as an offensive and scoring midfielder. He played in that club until the 2006/2007 season, after which he was transferred to Real Valladolid. From there he returns to Córdoba, then goes to Asteras Trípolis of the Greek league. In March 2012 the attacker commits until the end of the season with the RSD Alcalá. At the end of the season he is left without a team and joins the AFE team, in order not to lose shape.
Finally, in November of the year 2012, the player signs for Orihuela CF. After a first part of the season in 2013/14 he ended up in the ranks of SD Huesca where he fulfilled his contract until the end of the season. In the 2014-2015 season he signs for Club Deportivo Marino of the third division of Spain. The following season he signs for C.D. Cotillo of the same category.
