I do not assume I’ve been glued to an Afcon match like this one ongoing in Ivory Coast.
It’s a must to give a thumbs as much as the organisers for making certain all the pieces is working easily thus far. That mentioned, it’s the high quality of video games that has stood out for me and on this case, there are not any minnows within the match.
It’s a huge plus to see the likes of Mozambique, although written off earlier than the match, 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 essentially the most compelling facet of that 4-0 drubbing was that Equatorial Guinea fielded a workforce averaging simply 22 years.
In truth, seeing an 18-year-old defender Hugo Buyla put the ultimate nail within the Ivoirians coffin was a pleasure to observe. I turned to scan by way of The Cranes setup however I could not discover an 18-year-old who is prepared for a match 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 bought a glance into The Cranes squad. By the point he was drafted into the squad, he had already bought so many life distractions that he was by no means the identical.
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 needs to 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 abilities.
They method the sport with no worry and awe of the European-based African stars and because the outcomes have confirmed thus far, there’s a good probability to see a first-time Afcon winner of the match.
The important thing takeaway right here is that golf equipment and the UPL mustn’t sit on proficient children as gamers for the long run. Soccer is evolving so quick that 15-year-olds are actually beginning video games in high European groups.
The creator is SC Villa president emeritus
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