​Former Mali star Frederic Kanoute discusses how he is giving back in his retirement Now supports a village of orphans in his homeland and a football academy in Dubai He was a speaker at the FIFA Conference for Equality and Inclusion
By setting up a football academy and a village for orphans, former football star Frederic Kanoute is now changing the lives of hundreds of children. “They need love, care and attention,” he told FIFA 1904. “And then they will hopefully grow up to be strong and confident people with their own dreams.”
FIFA 1904: Frederic, you are in Dubai these days. What are you doing there?
Frederic Kanoute: After I retired, I moved to Dubai where I set up the Kanouté Football Academy (“KAFO Academy”). Football is incredibly popular here but still very much in development. Furthermore, I really enjoy working with kids and young people in general so it was the perfect match for me. We’ve been operating for four years now, and currently we are training around 200 kids between the ages of five and 15. It has been an incredibly enriching experience for me with all of these kids from different backgrounds, learning and improving massively together.
"Quotas are taboo. But in reality we are not treated equally."
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