Kampala — Preparations for the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in Angola reached a new high with Stanbic bank launching an online and mobile Fantasy League dedicated to the tournament.

"The Fantasy League is just another way to reinforce our celebration of African pride and passion for football. We hope that this platform for fans to connect with the game and engage with each other will be something that will really excite all African football supporters," says Bellinda Carreira, senior manager for Online and direct marketing, Standard Bank.

Fantasy teams can be made up of players from any of the 16 nations participating in the event including Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Joseph Yobo, Saloman Kalou, Emmanuel Eboue, Samuel Eto'o and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Having signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with the Africa soccer body CAF, stanbic bank has availed the fantasy league to both online and mobile users.

Standard/Stanbic Bank's AFCON Fantasy League is the first continental sports league, and the first to be linked to this major African football tournament.