The first match will be held on August 2 in Sousse and the second one on August 6 in Msaken in the governorate of Monastir.

These two matches will serve as preparation for the 2010 Men’s Volleyball World Championships which will take place in Italy from September 24 to October 10, 2010.

Tunisia will play in group B alongside Brazil, Spain and Cuba.

The match which was broadcast in 52 countries was also transmitted live on M6 and the private Tunisian TV station, Nessma.

It is the second time the Trophy is played outside France.

Eight Mediterranean countries will take part in the event including Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

The meeting aims at disseminating the culture of athletics in Mediterranean countries and providing opportunities for young athletes below 20 years of age to improve their performances.

“Organizing the meeting in Tunisia is part of the 2010 to 2020 the Tunisian Athletics Federation( FTA) program to rehabilitate athleticism, with a special focus on youth”, said Mr. Fethi Hachicha, president of the Tunisian Athletics Federation( FTA) in a statement to the Tunisian official news agency TAP.

He also stressed that the event also aims at consolidating national Mediterranean federations efforts to set up a Mediterranean Athletics Federation.

Mr. Ammar Addadi, president of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (ICMG) also took part in the meeting.

The match which will oppose Olympique de Marseille and Guinguant is expected to attract a large public. It is the second time the Trophy takes place outside France.

“The  game will be played in a friendly country known for its hospitality,” said Frédéric Thiriez.

Frederic Thiriez also welcomed the increasing number of Tunisian players in France, mentioning in this regard Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Issam Jomaa.

“The French Football Federation supported all aspects of organizing this event,” he added. “This match will be the best start for the new season between two great clubs and will be broadcast in 52 countries,  including  by M6 and Nesma TV”, said Frederic Thiriez.

It is expected that some 60,000 spectators will attend the Olympique de Marseilles (OM) and Paris Saint- Germain (PSG) clash on July 28, on the Rades. It is the second time the Trophy is played outside France. Last year the event which opposed Paris Saint- Germain (PSG) and E.A Guingamp took place in Montreal.

Taking place under the aegis of UNICEF, the event will take advantage of the opportunity to launch  a message of peace and friendly coexistence through sports.

According to the chairman of the French League of Professional Players , Mr Fredric Thiriez, a  tribute will be paid to the late Philippe Seguin, who was born in Tunisia and worked to foster Tunisian -French friendship during his life time.

In the semi-finals Ons Jaber  had beaten French Jennifer Migan (6-1, 6-1). The young Tunisian hopeful was also the finalist of the Roland Garros Junior tournament , recently held in Paris.

Twenty-two countries took part in the event, including Tunisia, Algeria, Great Britain, the United States, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Serbia, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, France and Morocco.

In the preliminary round, the Tunisian team were defeated on four occasions by Norway (24-43), France (25-29), Serbia (32-47) and Germany (23-33); and won only one game against Greenland (38-24).

Tunisia’s team topped the final standings with a total of 19 medals (7 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze) ahead of Morocco (3 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze) and Egypt (1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze).

Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mali, Guinea and Bahrain’s teams were batched into two pools. The first one includes Tunisia, Guinea and Bahrain, and the second Algeria, Morocco and Mali.

The tournament is part of the North African teams’ warm-up for the first round of qualifiers for the 9th African Nations’ Championship (CAN U17) due to be held in 2011 in Rwanda.