August 23rd, 2016, Kabul – Roshan Afghan Premier League (RAPL) will launch its 2016 Championship Tournament at Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) stadium on Thursday the 25th August at 3:00pm.
The opening ceremony will include RAPL 2016’s NEW SONG performed LIVE by three of Afghanistan’s stars, paragliding performances, the audience wearing colors to symbolize the Afghan Flag and many more surprises.
The first day of the Tournament will continue with the opening match between the winner of the 4th Season and the Eastern Zone’s team, De Spinghar Bazan, against Simorgh Alborz representing the Northern Zone. The RAPL’s two groups (A and B) for the 2016 Championship Tournament were determined by the draw show which was broadcast live on the 6th of August in Kabul.
The opening ceremony as well as all matches will also be broadcast LIVE on TOLO TV, Lemar TV and simulcast on Arman FM, Arakozia FM as well as online via the RAPL Official YouTube Channel and website.
57% of Afghans in country (at least 18.6 million viewers) as well as Afghans around the world (via YouTube) watched the 2015 Championship match between De Spinghar Bazan and Shaheen Asmayee (KAL – 2015 survey).
“In the past four seasons we have witnessed the presence of new players in the national teams of different age-ranges from Roshan Afghanistan Premier League (RAPL). We could select Afghan players who have the membership of national team from the premier league. The league facilitates the selection of players for national team. We also could select elite players from Roshan Afghanistan Premier League for national teams of 19 years, 21 years, and 23 years. The performance of these players is remarkable in national teams.” Mr. Keramuddin Karim, President of AFF
“At Roshan, we are strong believers of supporting sport. Playing sports is about team work and at Roshan Afghan Premier League (RAPL) games, young Afghans of all backgrounds get to work together and grow stronger together. Our support for RAPL has already allowed young Afghans an opportunity to shine and represent their country on the world stage, bringing pride to all Afghans.” said Karim Khoja, CEO of Roshan.
“RAPL successfully conducted four seasons in close cooperation with its partners over past four years despite the existing challenges in this country. We are strongly committed to continuing the first professional football league which now has become a symbol of optimism and national unity for Afghanistan and everyone is waiting for the main tournament by August of each year.” said Shafic Gawhari, CEO of MOBY GROUP Afghanistan and RAPL Commissioner.
ABOUT ROSHAN
Roshan has been the Title Sponsor of RAPL since 2012.
Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Corp) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with over 6.5 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 287 districts and cities in all the country's 34 provinces.
Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country’s long-term development. Since its inception in 2003, Roshan has invested over $600 million in Afghanistan and is the country’s single largest investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately five percent of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs around 900 people, 19 percent of whom are women, and provides indirect employment to more than 35,000 people.
Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.
ABOUT PAMIR GROUP OF COMPANIES
Pamir Group became the Official Energy Drink of the RAPL in July 2016.
ZALAL MOWAFAQ Company which is a subsidiary of Pamir Group of Companies started its operations from Herat Industrial Park with an initial capital of 2 million USD in 2002. To meet the growing demand of Afghan market for diverse products, Pamir Group of Companies has produced a wide range of products: Party Energy Drink in a variety of flavors, Zalal Mineral Drinking Water, Zamzam Beverage, Zamarud Beverage, Mani Juice, and producing and assembling more than 40 models of motorcycles (Pamir Cyclet). In 2011, to boost the quality and harmonize the products with international standards, Pamir Group of Companies attained seven international certificates: HACCP, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, G.MP, AS18001, OHS, and HALAL. This is a major achievement for the whole country.
ABOUT THE ROSHAN AFGHAN PREMIER LEAGUE (RAPL)
Roshan Afghan Premier League (RAPL), Afghanistan's first professional football league, was launched on 9th of July 2012 by the Afghan Football Federation (AFF), the first Asian football federation to be admitted to FIFA (in 1948), Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, and the MOBY GROUP, Afghanistan's largest media conglomerate.
RAPL consists of 8 teams drawn from all over the country, and feature Afghanistan's national team players as well as young men who have been selected for each team via a groundbreaking series of provincial and regional selection tournaments called Maidan-e-Sabz (Green Field). The league’s 18-match Championship Tournament takes place over August - October, with the 8 teams partaking in group play followed by the semi-finals and finals in Kabul's AFF stadium. All matches are broadcast live on MOBY's TOLO (Afghanistan's most popular TV channel) and Lemar (Afghanistan's number one Pashto channel). The matches are also broadcast on Arman FM and Arakozia FM, two of Afghanistan's leading radio stations, as well as to Afghans worldwide via cable and broadband.
ABOUT THE AFGHAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION (AFF)
Roshan Afghan Premier League 2014 is owned by the Afghan Football Federation (AFF). The AFF is the controlling body for the sport in the country and was admitted to FIFA in 1948.
The Afghanistan Football Federation is a Non-Governmental Organization that began serving football activities for Afghanistan in 1922. The federation is a nonprofit body which wanted to establish an environment where people interested in football could join and be a part of a wider community. The federation continues to organize all types of football related activities within Afghanistan through various tournaments, leagues, championships, and courses. The Afghanistan Football Federation is recognized by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).
ABOUT MOBY GROUP
MOBY Group is one of the leading integrated media and communications groups across South and Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Owning and operating over 17 businesses the group's activities span television, digital, content production, radio, sports, and strategic communications. With a reputation for innovative and ground breaking content, Moby's award winning programming has received accolades from the Sundance Film Festival, Reporters without Borders, Foundation de France and the Seoul International Drama Awards.