CAIRO, March 13 -- Chinese companies can play a key role in African football-related projects, Li Ying, vice-president of the greater China region for Lagardère Sports and Entertainment Group said.

Li is currently in Cairo to promote sponsorship opportunities for Chinese brands and companies working in Egypt during the upcoming 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be held in June in the North African country.

With offices and operations in more than 25 countries, Lagardère, a French group, is a leading global sports marketing and entertainment agency with a global network of experts dedicated to delivering innovative solutions.

In January, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that Egypt will host Africa's largest continental football tournament for the fifth time in its history.

The tournament was initially scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon. However, Cameroon was stripped of the right to host the tournament for serious delay in preparations.

Egypt has won the right to host the tournament over its sole rival South Africa, as it obtained 16 out of 18 votes in favor.

"After coming to Africa, I found that the African people have great passion for soccer," Li told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. "Football is the common language of the African people and we hope that through such publicity activities, more Chinese companies can participate in African football-related projects."

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