I do not suppose I’ve been glued to an Afcon event like this one ongoing in Ivory Coast.
It’s important to give a thumbs as much as the organisers for guaranteeing every part is working easily to date. That stated, it’s the high quality of video games that has stood out for me and on this case, there aren’t any minnows within the event.
It’s a huge plus to see the likes of Mozambique, though written off earlier than the event, put up scintillating shows. Even in exit, they bowed out with their heads excessive after making giants like Ghana and Egypt seat.
In the meantime, seeing Equatorial Guinea humiliate the hosts Ivory Coast was eye-opening in some ways. For one, gone are the times when hosts had been favoured in 50/50 conditions by match officers however probably the most compelling side of that 4-0 drubbing was that Equatorial Guinea fielded a crew averaging simply 22 years.
In actual fact, seeing an 18-year-old defender Hugo Buyla put the ultimate nail within the Ivoirians coffin was a pleasure to look at. I turned to scan by way of The Cranes setup however I could not discover an 18-year-old who is prepared for a event like Afcon.
But in three years’ time Uganda would possibly discover itself in Ivory Coast’s scenario as hosts if we do not overhaul the present home soccer setup that stifles children till they burnout earlier than fulfilling their potential.
There was a time when Allan Okello was the most well liked property in Ugandan soccer as an 18-year-old however he by no means acquired a glance into The Cranes squad. By the point he was drafted into the squad, he had already acquired so many life distractions that he was by no means the identical.
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There so many such examples like Okello and it’s on this premise that I blame the highest golf equipment and the Uganda Premier League board for lack of foresightedness in grooming the subsequent crop of Cranes gamers.
It must be a deliberate effort to make sure that particular children are given early publicity to top-level soccer as a substitute of fearing to danger them. Many international locations at Afcon are giving children loads of time to showcase their skills.
They strategy the sport with no worry and awe of the European-based African stars and because the outcomes have confirmed to date, there’s a good probability to see a first-time Afcon winner of the event.
The important thing takeaway right here is that golf equipment and the UPL shouldn’t sit on gifted children as gamers for the longer term. Soccer is evolving so quick that 15-year-olds are actually beginning video games in prime European groups.
The writer is SC Villa president emeritus
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