What Has Happened to the Quality of African Football?

Not impressed.

Not in the SLIGHTEST.

I have been trying to follow this current Nations Cup, and I have been APPALLED by the lack of skill, technique and just general football that I have seen.

Yes, two of the biggest nations are not in it, but the Nations Cup always had that vibrancy and excitement, which is why it has always been my second favourite continental tournament, after the Copa America.

But the state of African football now is extremely dire and something needs to be done before it heads deeper into the doldrums.

The image to my left says MANY words, but I will skip the racial undertone of it and stick to football....at least I'll try to...

Those who coach in Africa, most of them blonde, and French....not sure if that is a special recipe; but most of them are considered AVERAGE at best on the world stage. These are not the cream of the crop. So why are the same AVERAGE coaches playing musical chairs amongst every single national team? And why can't a Zambian, or Cameroon man be deemed good enough to lead his own country in this tournament?

That is where the problem starts. We can talk about the development of talent and all that, but if you have...(the new buzzword) AVERAGE coaches in charge, then how do you expect them to nurture the talent? You need a good coach to refine the great raw talents that the younger kids have so that they can take their football to the optimum level when the Nations Cup and the World Cup comes about. But what I am seeing is just pace, strength...and not enough skill to excite me. That in itself is a huge problem.

When the Eagles took home the Under-17 cup, they not only were easily the superior team...but it was the football that they played.

This was not just the physical attributes of the black man being the determining factor. This was PURE football, and a group of kids (we hope oh, innocent till proven guilty oh!) showing that if you have the skill, and a coach that employs that skill the right way, the intelligent way, you will be a very hard team to beat.
But what will become of those Nigerian boys and the Ghanian boys who did well around this sort of level? Are they going to suddenly lose all that skill and produce the very patchy and unsightly 1-1 football that is now on display at this year's Nations Cup?

Everyone keeps hoping that Ivory Coast and their amazingly talented team will go on and win this Nations Cup finally. But it boggles the mind that a team SO talented and playing in what I must say, is the lowest standard of football I have ever seen for a Nations Cup, can still find a way to struggle.

The mind boggles.

But they won't win it. I would happily bet....a hundred...peanuts in jelly that they will somehow find a way to mess up. And you have to scratch your head as to how a team with Gervinho, Toures, Doumbia, Bony and so forth cannot steam-roll pretty average opposition. QUEL WHY?!!!!

Back to my original moan and rant....things need to change. I said it on my video and I am now putting it in written form. THINGS MUST CHANGE IF AFRICAN FOOTBALL IS TO IMPROVE AND MOVE FORWARD.

The talent is there and has always been there. But you need coaches, homegrown coaches or BETTER coaches who believe in the talent and will focus on football...rather than relying on the "black man's physical attributes of speed and power" to win matches.

Play Football...forget about everything else.


HH