Saturday, August 11, 2012

Africa must place faith in homegrown coaches - Blatter


Fifa president Sepp Blatter
  August 2012

Africa must place faith in homegrown coaches - Blatter

 Fifa president Sepp Blatter has warned that an African team is unlikely to win a World Cup if the continent does not place more faith in its coaches.

"A coach must have a feeling for the heart and soul of his players - look at Nigeria for instance," he said.
"The players may be in Europe but the coach must understand, deeply, the mentality of the players. How can someone from outside do this?"
Blatter also believes African teams suffer from poor preparation.
While no African team made it past the quarter-final stage at the London Olympics, Blatter, speaking at the Games, believes the continent's sides at that level are more competitive than at senior level.
He said: "I have been analysing African football for quite a while now, more than the football from other continents… When they play at the U-23 level, African teams can match their opponents from other parts of the world.
"You may say that Europe do not pay the same level of attention to the Olympics. But no, I can tell you that Europe is not happy with their performance at this Olympic tournament. 
Stephen Keshi
Nigeria now have former Super Eagle Keshi in charge 
"At the senior level, [African national associations] just do not prepare their teams properly.
"Look at how teams from other parts of the world prepare, the money spent and the effort that is applied in getting ready to compete. African associations sometimes hire coaches just months before a World Cup. This has to stop."
Of the six national sides that represented Africa at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, only Algeria had a local coach - Rabah Saadane.
Hosts South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Morocco and Nigeria - who now have former Super Eagles captain Stephen Keshi in charge - all had European or South American trainers in charge.
Meanwhile, Blatter insists that his current four-year term, which will see him spend 17 years as Fifa president, will be his last.
"In 2015, I will be 79 years old and would have spent 40 years in Fifa. That is enough… I have given everything I have to football," he said.
"I hope I can deliver Fifa to somebody who will have the qualities and aptitude to lead, to not forget what Fifa is - it is about the game for everybody, the world game.
"Fifa is not only for those who think that they are dominating football, the powerful countries and the big clubs."
 
Mahmoud Alaa Eldin sits on the ptich after being knocked out of the Olympics by Japan.
 August 2012

Poor preparations cost Africa in London

 
If anything is to be re-learnt from the continent's chequered performance at the 2012 Olympic Games football tournament, it remains an uncomfortable, sobering, truth - that talent is no substitute for meticulous long-term planning.
And Africa certainly has talent, as it has repeatedly proven over the years.
"African football, certainly, does not lack the talent to win, but its administrators must learn that they must plan," Fifa president Sepp Blatter told me while discussing the disappointing state of the African game.
"Other countries and continents take time to plan, and to strategise for success. African football must do the same."
From the golden glory of Nigeria and Cameroon in 1996 and 2000, respectively, and then Nigeria's silver at the Beijing Games four years ago, to 2012 - when no African side reached the last four of either the men's or women's events. 

AFRICA'S OLYMPIC FOOTBALL MEDALLISTS

  • 1992 Barcelona: Ghana men, Bronze
  • 1996 Atlanta: Nigeria men, Gold
  • 2000 Sydney: Cameroon men, Gold
  • 2008 Beijing: Nigeria men, Silver 
Of the six teams that represented the continent in the men's and women's tournaments, only Senegal, who defeated Uruguay 2-0, and Egypt, in beating Belarus 3-1, managed to get wins in London.
Gabon and Morocco crashed out of the men's tournament after the group stages, as did Cameroon and South Africa in the women's event.
Of course, the general statistics mask the rather humiliating performances by the Indomitable Lionesses and Banyana Banyana, whose Olympic debuts leave them with full plates of food for thought.
Cameroon's comprehensive losses to Brazil (0-5), Great Britain (0-3) and New Zealand (1-3) respectively, and South Africa's losses to Sweden and Canada - scoring once while conceding seven - expose the huge gap the African women's game has to close. 

"Our overall performance at this tournament is a clear indication that African football still has a lot of catching up to do," says Aliou Cisse, the 2002 World Cup defender who now works as assistant coach of Senegal's Olympic team.
"If we want success, then we have to plan for it and work very hard for it. That takes time and a lot of effort. There are no shortcuts."
But as Gabon coach Claude Mbourounot bluntly observes, following his team's first-round exit, those running African football at the national association and continental levels need to took a good look in the mirror.
"African football suffers from a lack of organisation and structure. We need to be organised," he said.
"We (those responsible for coaching and managing teams) are often frustrated by people and institutions that do not understand our administrative and technical needs."
" African football suffers from a lack of organisation and structure. We need to be organised" Gabon coach Claude Mbouronot

South Africa's Portia Modise celebrating their only goal at the 2012 Olympics
One of few African highlights at the Olympics was a spectacular goal from South Africa's Portia Modise
And as obvious as the administrative deficiencies in the African men's game are, the womens' game suffers from an even worse lack of financial attention and proper technical support.
None of the two teams that represented the continent has a functioning women's league, as is the case in most African countries.
"In Africa, there are several people that even question the rationale for supporting women's football," says a visibly angry Lydia Nsekera, president of the Burundi Football Federation and the first woman in the 108-year history of Fifa to sit on the world governing body's executive committee.
"It is clear that without regular league competition for our women throughout the continent, there is no way our national teams will be able to effectively compete at tournaments like the Olympics."
After the disappointing performance of Africa at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where only Ghana's Black Stars made it to the knock-out stages of the competition, the Olympic failures serve as another timely reminder to the continent's administrative chiefs - reminding them that preparations off the pitch, as well as on it, are the only way the continent will conquer the mountaintop.
Blatter wants ban for Morganella in racism fight 




 Swiss player Michel Morganella, expelled from the Olympics for tweeting an insulting message about South Korea, should be banned, FIFA's Swiss president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday.

"I hope he has gone home," Blatter told reporters after helping to launch a new FIFA initiative with Britain's Kick It Out anti-racism campaign.

"It's embarrassing for the whole of the football family. It's embarrassing for the Olympic Games and I support the fact he has been sent home.

"The FA of Switerland has to deal with this case and then I am sure it will be transmitted to us because it is an international match and of course he should be banned."

Swiss team chief Gian Gilli said on Monday that Morganella had "gravely insulted and violated" the dignity of South Korea after his team's 2-1 defeat a day earlier.
Blatter, speaking at Wembley before Britain's women faced Brazil in their final group match in the women's soccer competition, pledged FIFA's full support to battle all forms of racism in football and his sentiments were backed by English FA chairman David Bernstein.

Bernstein was speaking a day after the FA charged Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand over a comment on Twitter which referred to Chelsea's Ashley Cole as a "choc ice".

Bernstein said there would be "tough consequences" for all types of poor behaviour in the future.

"We must continue to be tough as a regulatory body on sanctioning and disciplining inappropriate behaviour," he said.

"Wherever possible we must bring incidents of discriminatory abuse to charge and all participants must know the consequences of their actions.

"This goes for the twittersphere as much as on the pitch, in the stands and in the recuitment processes across football." 
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  • Ghana and Berekum Chelsea striker Emmanuel Clottey Chelsea aim to emulate Chelsea
    Berekum Chelsea hope to emulate their English namesake as the Ghanaians target African Champions League glory.
  • Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba lifting the European Champions League trophy African stars' exodus to China
    The BBC's Stephen Fottrell explores why a number of top African footballers have left European clubs to play in China's top flight. 

    Moses would 'make it big' at Chelsea, says Mikel

    The Nigerian lauded his fellow countryman ahead of a proposed move to west London as well as stating that the Blues "will beat" Manchester City in the Community Shield

Dave Whelan, the Latics' chairman, previously slapped a £10 million asking price on Moses, who is entering the final year of his contract at the DW Stadium, and insists it is down to Chelsea to meet the fee.
And fellow Nigerian Mikel lauded the winger ahead of the proposed move, telling MTNFootball.com: "Victor Moses is a good player, we all saw what he did last season.

"I will gladly welcome him and make him feel at home if he comes here. It would be a good move for him and I am sure he will make it big here."

Chelsea have hit headlines this summer with the acquisitions of Eden and Thorgan Hazard, Brazil international Oscar and German attacking midfielder Marko Marin in a flurry of transfer activity ahead of Roberto Di Matteo's first full season in charge.
 The club begin their season this Sunday with the Community Shield clash with Premier League champions Manchester City at Villa Park, and Mikel emphasised the importance of winning the season opener.

He added: "Whenever I am on the pitch, what comes to my mind is victory and that's my desire. To win the Community Shield will be good for us, it will put us in good mood ahead of the new season.

"We will get it right and beat City. I have won it before and I want to win it again."  

Wigan forward Victor Moses Chelsea close in on Moses signing 180 Chelsea are nearing the signing of Wigan and Nigeria's Victor Moses after high-level talks between the clubs.

12:35
The Spanish giants are keen to sign the Cameroon international this month but are unwilling to meet the Gunners' £15 million valuation of the midfielder

Southern Sudan score a penalty against Uganda at the Juba Stadium, 10 July 2012 South Sudan enter Fifa rankings South Sudan are included in Fifa's world rankings for the first time after playing their inaugural full international last month.


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The striker was tipped to set World Cup 2006 alight, before his career stalled and you can read more about him by purchasing Football Manager Stole My Life, available on August 10
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The powerful midfielder made almost 50 appearances for Rennes, scoring two goals, and attracted a host of European clubs
 July 2012

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