YouTube stars the F2 Freestylers challenged former Tottenham and Sevilla striker Freddie Kanoute to the Bin Challenge to raise awareness for the Kick Cancer campaign.
Footballing tricksters Billy Wingrove & Jeremy Lynch have developed a cult following of football fans with their skills and challenges on social media. The duo have over seven million subscribers and millions of views of their footballing showboating and have bought the Bin Challenge to the UAE, starting with the Dubai Festival City launch.
Ex-Premier League star Kanoute attended the event with young players from his academy in Dubai. The former Spurs striker took a few attempts himself to complete the challenge, which sees challengers use a piece of skill to land a football in the bin.
The Kick Cancer campaign aims to raise awareness and positive change and about prostate and testicular cancer, which affect one in three men. Barcelona star Luis Suarez is also supporting the campaign and school outreach programmes across the UAE.
Speaking exclusively to Sport 360 Kanoute said, “It’s an important campaign to be involved in because so many men will be affected by cancer during their life. These events are a good platform to raise awareness and funds to help those in need”. After completing the Bin Challenge the former attacker, spoke of the difference between footballers and freestylers. “We know the kids love watching these skills on YouTube all the time but it’s a different sport really, us footballers look ridiculous compared to these guys, but I did the challenge second or third time, so it wasn’t that bad.”
Taking the challenge: Freddy Kanoute
F2 Freestyler Billy told Sport 360: “It’s great being involved in the campaign, we’re amazed at how far we’ve come as freestylers to be asked to be involved in something like this. At first we had a dream of getting six million YouTube subscribers because there was someone doing a similar sort of thing as us and we wanted to catch them. Now we’re on seven million so it’s incredible that, even though we never made it as footballers, we’re getting the same satisfaction out of inspiring kids using skills instead”.
“We’re surprised at just how big it’s gone”, admitted fellow Freestyler Jeremy Lynch. “We always had a vision for the F2 and we actually have to move quickly when we’re creating our skills videos, we’re only human, we don’t always get it right first time but if it takes more than ten minutes we just move on to something else. One video we’ve not made yet that we’d like to is to do something with Ronaldinho, who seems to do a lot of work out here in Dubai so hopefully that can happen.”
Barcelona FC striker Luis Suarez actively participated in the campaign by starring in a public awareness advert, which was premiered at the launch event.
For more information visit Kickcancer.ae
