Arsène Wenger explains why FIFA wants to open a football academy in Zambia

Zambia will benefit from FIFA’s football education initiative, which will see the world football governing body establish 75 academies in various countries.

By Calvin Kaumba Chikenge.

Lusaka, Feb. 19 [BolaNews] – Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, announced at the 2023 FIFA Football Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that the football governing body intends to have a recognized elite talent development academy in each of the 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs) by the end of 2026, to give every promising player a chance to flourish.

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Zambian Authorities, 30 years ago, used a dilapidated ZAF Buffalo plane to take the Zambia KK11 football team to Ivory Coast because they found a Zambia Airways (QZ) quotation too expensive. When the ZAF Buffalo plane crushed off the coast of Gabon, authorities ordered Zambia Airways to make the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 plane ready to go and collect the bodies.

“Over the next six months to one year, our plan is to open more academies in Africa,” said Wenger. “We are now close to opening new ones in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, and Zambia. By the end of 2026, we’ll have 75 academies all over the world. That means football education has moved forward and that’s what we’re focusing on at the moment.

“We want the game to be more competitive and of better quality and there is only one way to do it: it’s the quality of the football education and quality of the competitions.”

Wenger also announced that FIFA has already deployed 24 coaches to assist in the identification of talented players.

He said six more will be sent to Liberia, Malawi, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Ghana. This is to provide a solid technical foundation for the development of FIFA Academies.

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After 75 caps and 18 goals for Libeira, George Weah’s iconic number 14 shirt was officially shelved following one final friendly he played in 2018.

The coaches will be assisted by full-time local coaches provided by the respective member associations in each country.

Their job will be to “find talented players, train them to give them the tools to best exploit their abilities, and give them the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice by playing matches,” read the statement by FIFA.

About The Author: Calvin Kaumba Chikenge is a Zambian Sports journalist well known for his exclusive stories and feature writing. In addition to reporting on sports for Spring TV, he interned for the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper. He has contributed to numerous international publications, including the Guardian in the UK, and is currently the editor of BolaNews.

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