When Lionel Scaloni was appointed as football powerhouse Argentina’s Manager, eyebrows were raised. Though some were supportive, many voiced their concerns. The most brutal comment came from a football legend and one considered a” football God” by most fans in the country, Diego Maradona. He said,” Scaloni is a good lad but he cannot even direct traffic. Are we now crazy to give him the National Team !”
It was a harsh comment from the Great One.
Yes, Scaloni did not have much coaching pedigree before the appointment. He had worked as a youth coach in Spain before being part of the Argentina backroom staff for the 2018 World Cup.
When his namesake Lionel Messi decided to retire from National duty after another loss in a Copa America the final, Scaloni send him a twitter message. It read “Lionel, please do not go..!”
It seemed that ,he had a sense of destiny with the Argentina National team job.
When he was eventually appointed, he quickly made Messi the pivot of his team and build a team around him. All the young players bought into this vision. The rest as they say ,is history.
At 44 years old , with his captain Lionel Messi 35, the mission was accomplished . Messi’s national team journey endedb with the gold medal as the icing on the cake, Scaloni’s journey beginning with the greatest medal in World football.
What a story!
Which brings me back to African teams. Yesterday ,I heard that Zambia had appointed Avram Grant as their new Manager.
Most of us know him for his work with Chelsea and West Ham. He also managed Ghana.
With Chelsea he lost a Champions League final and with Ghana he also lost a Afcon final . He has however won a number of titles in Israel.
That he is an experienced and well qualified coach cannot be doubted. The Zambia Football Association made a decision to appoint him and I will respect that.
I however feel that at this stage of the Nation ‘s football journey, the powers that be must be able to trust the local coaches. I do not understand why they have to bring Avram Grant to lead Chipolopolo. One Afcon win under a foreign coach must not be reason to have a permanent hangover .I think there is a time for everything and now is the time to show some faith in the local lads.
I think African Nations must invest in coach education so that they can rely on local Coaches.
There are advantages in doing this. A local coach will not be as expensive as the foreign coaches who usually arrive with a huge entourage. The Associations would rather invest this money in junior structures and coaches education. This does not mean the local coaches must be paid a pittance. They must be given good contracts and I am sure they can deliver.
Local coaches can also develop a playing philosophy which is suitable for the country. In Zimbabwe ,we have recruited coaches from all over.Since they have come with their own football ideologies, it has been difficult to come up with a philosophy which we can call ours. How do we want to play ? Noone seems to know.. If a German is in charge , we play like the Germans, if we employ a Brazilian , we will play like Brazilians..or try to. When coach Loga from Croatia is in charge, we have no clue how we are supposed to play.It becomes a confused cocktail.
I am aware that local coaches are often accused of favouritism and taking bribes from players, especially those coming from abroad. I think this can be resolved by giving them satisfactory contracts so that the mentality of “Mbudzi inodya payakasungirirwa” can be consigned to the dustbin of our football narrative.
The success of Morrocan Manager Walid Radgurei who took The Atlas Lions to the semi final of the WC must be an eye opener for many African Associations. Local coaches can do well if they get the support. His commitment to the Morroco cause cannot be doubted.
Zimbabwe like most African countries has the added advantage of having coaches who are in Europe and are involved with the game.
I have had the privilege of discussing football with coaches like George Mbwando , Max Lunga , both former internationals and holders of UEFA A Pro licence and Kenny Mutsanya a holder of a UEFA B Pro licence. They have gained experience by working at various levels of the game and are ready to help.
Can our football leaders show the faith? This often is the difference. The just ended WC was an eye opener. Argentina took a gamble with Scaloni and it paid off. Morocco did the same and they made Africa proud.
The powers at the Zambia FA has done what I call “reverse jive..!” and recruited Avram Grant. I feel it’s recycling and I feel a lack of Faith in the abilities of their local coaches.
More investment in coaches education is needed and I think this must be the next focus of all African Football Association s. They must show the faith and trust the process.
Danai Chitakasha , is a Football writer who is keen on the development of Zimbabwe Football. He has worked with the legendary Japhet Mparutsa to pen his autobiography:Japhet Shortcat Mparutsa, My Story.
The book broke new ground as it was the first autobiography by a Zimbabwe local based footballer. Before this , only Bruce Grobelaar had written a biography. Danai is also the author of another the book ;First Cut , Memoirs of A football Fan.
