Israel Saria
BRITISH soccer experts, who were involved in the selection of youngsters for the Tanzania Soccer Academy early this week, have expressed astonishment at enormous untapped football talent in the country.
Peter Johnson, who is a director of the Bagamoyo-based academy, said he and his two colleagues, John Hindley and David Bailey from Bolton, saw what they had not expected. Johnson said the boys were able to do everything they were told to do; like passing the ball, moving in tactical formations on the field and ability to grasp techniques.
“Unlike in Europe where young players have been exposed to many football academies and time has reached when you tell them to do something and they can not but in Tanzania, the players are completely raw they are seeing things for the first time and when you impact new things they grasp them,” said Johnson.
[zoomer]61|400|0|Power Thumbnail|0|0[/zoomer]
He said all the Tanzanian players need are top class coaches and good facilities to make them premiership material. “If all these things are put in place these youngsters might play in top leagues because Hindley who groomed Michael Owen and Wes Brown says the players have everything it takes to be world class,” said Johnson. A total of 150 youngsters showed up for the selection exercise that ended with 27 players being picked to join the academy.
Comments
Loading…