Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo in BEIJING, China
IN China, former Young Warriors defender Walter “Ringers” Musanhu is feted like a king.
He is, in a way.
His soccer nursery Jadel Football Academy, one of the few in the world with at least 23 nationalities, dominates discourse.
It’s not just a football academy but it’s an embodiment of the power that the game possesses.
Here, they call it a “Goodwill Academy” where cadets get to mix, socialise and learn different cultures and languages around the football.
Due to its diversity, the team is getting most of the media attention in the ongoing 100-Teams Cup in Beijing. With players from Zimbabwe, 16 of them, China, Canada and the United States, Jadel FA have five age-group teams participating across all the categories in the tournament.
And they are dominating national and international Chinese media outlets.
Yesterday Xinhua News Agency wrote; “The “100 team cup” arrived as promised. Walter (Musanhu), a football youth coach from Zimbabwe, led his Chinese and foreign cadets to enjoy the summer football binge that belongs to the children.
“Walter, a former professional, has a deep affection for the greenfield and has tried to pass on his love of football to more young players since retiring. In 2019, he founded the Jadel Football Academy in Beijing, which currently enrols about 150 cadets from countries and regions such as China, Zimbabwe and Japan.
“Founded in 1984, the “100 Team Cup” is a traditional youth soccer competition in Beijing. From the initial participation of more than 100 teams, the number of teams participating in the competition has stabilized at more than 1,000 in recent years. The scale of the competition has gradually expanded. The concept of “more than football” is also very much shared by Walter.”
China News Network said Jadel FA’s concept was out of this world.
“On the playing field on the 9th, Zimbabwean coach Walter’s (Musanhu) eyes always followed the running positions and transmissions of the young players of the Jadel FA 2013 team. This summer, the 42nd “100 Team Cup” football competition brought a “football feast” to children. As a traditional youth soccer competition in Beijing with more than 40 years of history, its size has grown from more than 110 teams signed up to more than 1,300 today, providing a platform for more children to showcase themselves and witnessing the booming development of youth football. At the current tournament, Jadel Football Academy, which was founded by Walter, sent five teams to compete in different age groups. Under his leadership, five teams brought together young players from China, Canada, Japan, Zimbabwe and other countries and regions to become a bright “scenic spot” on the field.”
The competition, which is one of the most iconic youth football festivals in the world, ends on August 17.
But it is the manner in which Jadel FA are doing their business which has left many in awe.
Even more inspiring is the fact that the Zimbabwean grassroots side sometimes mix girls and boys to compete against exclusively boys teams.
Jin Zi-wei (11) is one of the girls to have done so and yesterday said “I was not a fan of sports and then to to see myself falling in love with football is shocking. But let me say it’s because of the philosophy at Jadel FA that keeps on driving me.”
daniel chigunwe