adminAlbert Marufu in LONDON, England
FORMER Dynamos defender Chamu Musanhu has questioned the mental preparedness of Zimbabwean football players to thrive outside African leagues.
Musanhu, a member of the Dynamos side that won the 1994, 1995 and 1997 Premiership titles and a silver medal in the CAF Champions League, said the mindset needs to change.
“We are so behind in terms of junior development compared to other African countries,’’ he said.
“The systems back home do not prepare the youngsters to play football abroad. We need to send people to visit West African countries like Ghana and see how things are done there.
“Ghanaians are serious when it comes to junior development. They invite scouts to their countries.
“In some instances, they even pay for the airfares and the general upkeep of the FIFA player intermediary or scouts. This is the reason why they have players scattered all over Europe.
“They also have videos of their players in place.’’ Musanhu, who is now a player agent, is based in Liverpool and, until recently, worked as a junior scout for English Premiership side Everton.
“We are still a long way compared to other countries. I recently contacted a very promising player in Zimbabwe with a view of taking him somewhere,’’ he said.
“But, he told me that he does not have an e-mail address. Technically, the player is good, but mentally he is not ready. That is disappointing. “In Zimbabwe, if you call to enquire on a player, you will be looked down upon. This is very different from countries like Ghana, which have a strong junior policy and appreciate the value of intermediaries.’’
Musanhu, who holds a UEFA B licence coaching badge as well as Professional Football Association Scouts Association Level 2 Scouting Course, said ZIFA should make it mandatory for clubs to have a vibrant junior policy.
“There is no reason why Zimbabwe should not be churning out players in the mould of Peter Ndlovu and Moses Chunga.
“ZIFA should make it mandatory for each club to have a strong junior policy if we are to go forward.
Musanhu said coming to England is not easy for Zimbabwean players because it involves a lot of things such as number of caps and the national team’s ranking.
Online Reporter