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Press Releases
91Èȱ¬'s "viral" game adds virtual dimension to presence at Africa Cup of Nations
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Just as football lovers across Africa rally around their national teams ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations 2008 in Ghana, the 91Èȱ¬ has launched a virtual game in which fans can "play" for their favourite team – and "win" a cyber-tournament.
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Farayi Mungazi's Penalty Shootout is an online game commentated by the popular presenter of the 91Èȱ¬ World Service flagship African sports programme, Fast Track.
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It is available at bbcworldservice.com/penaltyshootout from Thursday 17 January and will culminate on the day of the final of Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday 10 February.
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The rules of Farayi Mungazi's Penalty Shootout are simple. Each player has to save as many penalties as possible. In this viral game it is also important for players to spread the word among supporters of their favourite team as their total scores will be added to the global league table.
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The more penalties online players save for their team, the more chances there are for the team to win the virtual tournament. There are no prizes, but there will be a virtual cup for the most successful team, which will be announced.
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Farayi Mungazi says: "This is a first for the 91Èȱ¬, and I am thrilled to be fronting Farayi Mungazi's Penalty Shootout. Football fans are passionate about the game and I know they are going to love this virtual competition.
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"Just as 16 teams from across the continent battle it out in Ghana for Africa Cup of Nations 2008, lovers of the beautiful game can also support their teams in the 91Èȱ¬'s cyber-contest. I look forward to a great tournament."
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Farayi Mungazi's Penalty Shootout also features on the social networking site, Facebook. A dedicated page enables members to play for their country, join in daily discussions about the games, upload pictures and videos and encourage their friends to play the game. They also can view the league table updated daily.
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The 91Èȱ¬ will bring its most extensive coverage of Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations to millions of football fans across Africa and the world.
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A special joint broadcast on Friday 18 January between 91Èȱ¬ World Service's two flagship programmes, The World Today and Network Africa, will launch the three weeks of 91Èȱ¬ coverage which will include live game commentary and in-depth analysis by the 91Èȱ¬'s best football experts, key interviews, up-to-the-minute news and special features.
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Listeners will be able to follow Ghana 2008 in Arabic, English, French, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Portuguese, Somali and Swahili.
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Further information, minute-by-minute text and audio coverage and podcasts will also be available at bbcworldservice.com/africanfootball.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service Publicity
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