Demba Mbaye, the Technical Director of FUS De Rabat Football Club, says only African coaches can change for the better the fortunes of African football.
Mbaye, while speaking on Thursday in Rabat at the ongoing training on sports journalism, said there is the need for Africans to “have confidence in their own”.
“I am convinced that the future of African football lies in the hands of Africans and not in the hands of foreigners. There is a need for Africans to have confidence in their own,” he said.
The Senegalese who handles FUS De Rabat, a Moroccan professional division one clubside based in Rabat, noted that Europeans would not trust African coaches with their teams.
“Unlike in Africa, no European nation will put the destiny of their national team in the hands of an African coach.”
He also said that, with the abundant talents in Africa, any African country can win the FIFA World Cup if the right things were done.
Mbaye said further that Africa has a challenge of infrastructure which has to be overcome before Africa can be at the top of global football.
He expressed the belief that in all these the media has a critical role to play in the development of the round leather game.
“There is a need for African sports writers to highlight the sport through sustained aggressive campaign,” the technical director said.
He said the media must impress it on political leaders and sports administrators the need to engage local coaches in the management of the national teams.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organised by the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA) for journalists from African news agencies.
The training has the theme “Mastery of Techniques for Good Practice of Sports Journalism.”
A total of 23 participants from 20 African news agencies and experts in the sports sector are attending the training.
NAN is being represented at the training by Joseph Edeh, a Senior Editor on the Sports Desk in Abuja.
FAAPA was established in October 2014 as a professional platform to encourage exchange of experiences and to promote cooperation among news agencies in areas of common interest.
It also strategises to position news agencies to remain relevant with regard to the fast-changing trends in multimedia technologies, as well as championing professional ethics. (NAN)
