STORY: First "Village Super League" final held in Benin
SHOOTING TIME: May 25, 2024
DATELINE: May 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:37
LOCATION: PARAKOU, Benin
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the final of the African "Village Super League"
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (French): YVES KOBA, Head of the Belle Cite Village in Parakou, Benin
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SHOU XIAOYONG, Head of the 3rd Chinese Support Mission for Cotton Production in Benin

STORYLINE:

The final of the first edition of the African "Village Super League" was held in Parakou city of Benin on Saturday.

The rural football event, which draws on the experience of the Village Super League from China's Guizhou, was initiated by a China-assisted cotton technology project team and local staff.

They leveled a standard soccer field at the project base to satisfy local villagers' passion for soccer.

Since the opening at the end of March, this soccer tournament, composed of 12 village teams, has been held on weekends.

After fierce competition, the team of Barrage Village won the championship.

SOUNDBITE 1 (French): YVES KOBA, Head of the Belle Cite Village in Parakou, Benin 
"I'm so proud of this match, I'm delighted, and I hope that it will be an ongoing thing, as I've always said, that it will be a regular event.
(The Village Super League) is something new. We didn't do that before, but the Chinese have brought it to us like a grain. It's a new thing.
They spread joy in the hearts of local residents, including the surrounding villages."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SHOU XIAOYONG, Head of the 3rd Chinese Support Mission for Cotton Production in Benin
"The 'Village Super League' provides a stage for local young people to display their youthful vigor and passion, and a place for nearby villagers to relax and have fun.
Technical assistance coupled with the 'Village Super League' model not only allows our base to become a place for passing on Chinese technology, but also a stage for cultural exchanges and for strengthening friendship between the two peoples."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Parakou, Benin.
(XHTV)