Governments in the country have been urged to do more to develop young talents in sports, especially football, by promoting football academies.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, a consortium of football enthusiasts and professionals said that the government had left sports development in the hands of private entities.
The President of a football academy, DollyP Sport Academy, Ahmed Yusuf, the academy’s sporting director, Akeem Latifu, and a team of scouts for football talents, led by Villasenor Lopez Israel, urged governments to create football academies for young talents to flourish and help produce future giants in the country.
“Government should do more in developing sports in the country. They have left sports development to private entities. They should create football academies for young talents to flourish and produce future giants in the country,” he said.
Ahmed Yusuf, who mentioned that the academy had scouted different areas of the state like Baruten, Kosubosu in Kwara North, Offa, Erin Ile in Kwara South, and Ilorin in Kwara Central for young football talents, added that youths were selected through competitions among secondary schools.
“We assist the youth in meals, accommodation, sports materials, sports development, as well as in their education,” he said, pleading for parental consent in the release of lads for sports activities and programs.
Also speaking, the sporting director of the academy, Akeem Latifu, said that sports, especially football, can lift many Nigerian families out of poverty.
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“I believe God created sports to lift the poor out of poverty. I’m an example. I used football to change the lives of my family. Football is genuinely for the poor. There are talents in Kwara state, and I want to say that good things have just started to happen here.
“We collaborate with international sports development agencies. Dollyp aims to grow the football business in Kwara state, and from there, penetrate Nigeria and Africa. A lot of our people are making it from football. Look at what football is doing to the economy of Lagos state. We want to see how we can get more, produce many more Taiwo Awoniyi, acquire more resources, and stop depending on the government.
“Our footballers are making a fortune playing abroad, so we plan to help young lads from Kwara benefit too,” he said.
A director at Grupo Orlegi, Mexico, Villasenor Lopez Israel, said that the major criteria football scouts look for in young talents are mentality, adding that the team of talent scouts was in Kwara to discover football talents and develop them.
“We aim to have a good impact on their lives. Nigerian football players are strong. You have good strikers and defenders with a great impact on the field of play.”
He also mentioned that young talents need to adapt to the new world, the new system of football, and culture, adding that, “If you don’t have a strong mentality, even with a strong body, you may not make it.”