From Olanrewaju Lawal Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State own football club,Kebbi Utd have successfully transferred three of it players to Egyptian club including two young players to Sporting Lisbon Academy .
Mr. Pedro Batista,a former Sporting Lisbon Director stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
Batista, explained that there have been alot of progressed made in the area of football sector in the state for the past few years.
According to him,”some years ago when I meet Mr Kingsley Amunike, former Nigerian Player and now respected Coach and business man based in Sweden. Soon we started talking about the tremendous potential of Nigeria regarding football. We realized that Nigerian players are not behind no one on Technical and physical aspects, and the major obstacles for them to make the transition for football outside Nigeria was proper understanding of the game. Nigeria has great potential but lacks proper Youth football programs.
“So we put together a team to tackle this, and we went after the best that are in the market, Coach Telmo Costa that coached for more than 10 years in Sporting Lisbon Academy and Coach Jose Alexandre that coached many years in SL Benfica academy, 2 of the best youth football academies in the World. Together these coaches coached players like Eric Dier (Tottenham), Rui Patricio (Roma), Bernardo Silva (Man City) João Cancelo (Bayern Munich), Ederson (Man City) and many others playing at top level in Europe”.
Batista also said that they collaborated with Mr Luis Dias, former Technical Director of Sporting youth Academy, who had coached no less than Cristiano Ronaldo when Ronaldo started his journey at Sporting Lisbon.
He said: ” We put together a project that convinced Kebbi State Government to make things happen! Having these coaches full time in Kebbi State, coaching and overseeing a State Academy that includes 2 teams of U12, 2 Teams of U15, 1 team of U17 and 2 Teams of U20. No other project in Nigeria has coaches of these caliber and experience full time with our Nigerian kids, adapting the methodology of the 2 best academies in the World to the Nigerian reality.
“The final goal was a long term
One, to polish from a very young age starting by U12 until U17 / U20 when the players would be prepared to face the world of football! But the talent is so abundant that much sooner they we started, we get players ready for the market.
“In the last Summer Kebbi State Academy sent 2 players to Sporting Lisbon Academy, where for 2 months they practice with the U19 team of Sporting Lisbon, the 2 kids left such a good impression that once they reach 18 years old, in December, they will be back in Portugal again!
“And finally in the these last January international market, Kebbi State Government saw for the first time in the State history , 3 players from the Government owned club, Kebbi United, being transferred to Egypt. Where Kebbi State formed a very promising partnership with Enppi Club, a traditional Club playing in the Egyptian Premier League, that just Beated this weekend the African super power Zamalek by 2-0!
“But it doesn’t stop hear, in this next summer market they have already highlighted 5 players in Kebbi to sign for European Clubs once the market opens again”, he added.