Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
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Hervé Renard, the only coach to win the CAF Africa Cup of Nations with two different teams, recognises that one of strong points of African football is that players hone their skills by playing barefoot on any piece of land they can find, building up their strength and natural skills.
But Renard, who led Zambia to an improbable title in 2012 and then helped Cote d’Ivoire’s golden generation finally lift the trophy three years later, also believes that competition structure is also needed — something FIFA is helping to address with the African School Champions Cup.
The tournament will be played in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from February 19-20 with schools’ teams from six countries and is one of many initiatives designed to help increase global competitiveness, one of the eleven pillars of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s Vision 2020-23.
A lack of organised football for children is one of many issues facing African football, stalling progress and preventing it from reaching its full potential, as Renard explains.
“We know very well that, in Africa, children play in the streets, on the sand, in the dirt and on the tarmac, sometimes barefoot too,” said Renard, who also took Morocco to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.
“That’s also what makes them strong. That’s what makes their development outstanding, with athletic attributes which are already close to the peak when they reach elite football.
“However, this school football should really be developed as some infrastructures are certainly going to be better. And that’s what Africa needs: better infrastructures, although it can have a bright side to play on grounds which sometimes look like anything but a football pitch.
“Maybe this barefoot aspect should somehow be kept, but by adding infrastructures – in schools, for example – of great quality. It can lead to a combination which could make African football develop.”
