Talent Alone Won't Win Africa World Cup, Football Fans Share Experience

Many people across the world believe that Africa has some of the best football players in the world. Players from African countries play for top clubs in England, Spain, Italy, France and other European countries. Some of the big names in the world of football are from the African continent. Despite this feat, something is still missing. And that is an African going home with the trophy at the end of FIFA World Cup.

Since the beginning of FIFA World Cup, no African country has ever won the World Cup. This has made many football lovers ask some very piercing questions, why Africa is still waiting for its first World Cup trophy? What's holding the continent that not one country has ever won the cup and brought it to Africa? What's wrong with the continent? What's the magic wand that the Western countries are using that the African nations cannot apply.

To find out details, our Next Africa Daily sports reporter went to town. She spoke with two football lovers, Michael Chinonso Otuma and Osita Chime. These are football lovers who can analyse football and possibly predict winners in a national or international football tournament.

They both shared their thoughts on why African teams have not won the World Cup and what should be done to change the long standing but sad narrative. They are of the view that certain things needed to be put in place, strategies needed to be changed for a nation of the Africa continent to clinch the FIFA World Cup trophy. Winning the trophy would be an explosive victory for the continent, not just for the nation.

Michael Chinonso Otuma said the problem is not that Africa does not have good players. According to him, the biggest problem is poor leadership in the football industry. He faulted leadership selection, strategies employed, poor funding, low incentive, unduevrespect for European teams among others.

"We have talented players, but our football leaders need to do more," he said. "They should give greater support to the players and coaches. Good planning and proper funding are very important if any country wants to win the World Cup."

He also said some coaches make mistakes during important matches. He explained that African teams sometimes start games very well and even take the lead, but later lose because they fail to change their style of play.

"If your team is winning, you must know when to defend and when to attack. Some coaches fail to do that, and the team ends up losing the match," he said. Otuma also believes that African teams need to be more focused from the beginning of a match until the final whistle is blown.

"European and South American teams keep fighting until the end. African teams also need that kind of spirit and consistency," he added.

He used Morocco as an example, saying the country has improved because it invested in football, built good training centres and planned for many years. To win in any event, there should be a long term plan for the event to be successful. Fire Brigade approach to events will never give you success.

Osita Chime believes that African football leaders should pay more attention to young players. They must be willing to build the morale of young players among them. They must encourage them to grow and develop their talents.

Encouragement is in different forms. Most leaders cheat their team members in the funds made available to them. That kills the morale of the young footballers who cannot challenge their leaders and coaches.

According to Chime, there are many talented young people in football academies across Africa, but many of them do not get the chance to show what they can do. He is of the view that football leaders in countries should harvest the young talents and groom them to become better players.

"We should not depend only on players who are already playing in Europe," Chime said. "There are many young players at home who can become great footballers if they are given the right training."

He also said he does not agree with people who say African players are not disciplined. He said: "Many of these players have passed through difficult times before becoming professional footballers. They work hard to achieve their dreams. I don't think discipline is the main problem," he said.

Chime believes that African teams also need more confidence whenever they play against big football nations. He said: "Sometimes our players respect European teams too much before the match even starts. They should believe they can win because football is played on the pitch, not by name," he said.

He added that football federations should build more training grounds, improve football academies, buy modern training equipment and employ good coaches.

According to him, these things will help young players improve and prepare them for international football matches.

The two football lovers agreed that Africa has enough talents to win the FIFA World Cup one day. However, they said talent alone is not enough. They believe African football needs better leadership, good coaches, proper funding, better football facilities and more support for young players.

They expressed hope that if football authorities across Africa begin to fix these problems, the continent will one day celebrate its first FIFA World Cup victory.

For many football fans, that dream is still alive. They believe that with hard work, better planning and support for players from a young age, an African nation can finally make history by lifting football's biggest trophy to Africa.