Portuguese, Swedish consortium scout Kebbi football talents for European clubs
Kebbi State Football Association in collaboration with a consortium from Portugal and Sweden has, on Wednesday, commenced selection process of Kebbi players to play for European clubs, an official has said.
Alhaji Abubakar Chika Ladan, Kebbi State FA Chairman, made the disclosure in an interview with Journalists shortly after the flag-off of the exercise at Haliru Abdu Stadium in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
The exercise is being carried out by a Consortium of Coaches from Portugal under the auspices of “Break Management System”, representing a number of clubs together with a Sweden- based Nigerian who owns a Football Academy in Sweden.
The Sweden based Nigerian is a junior brother to Emmanuel Amunike.
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Ladan said: “We invited some foreign scouts under our programme which we called Sen. Atiku Bagudu Football Talents Identification Programme.
“We invited them purposely because we believe we have some talented footballers who are capable of playing at any level both internationally, nationally and locally.
“This can be testified by the player taken by a club in Portugal but after some time he was recruited by FC Porto, one of the biggest clubs in the world today, by name Zaidu Saidu from Jega.
“Zaidu, after playing in the international circle for a year, he was invited to play for Super Eagles and I believe he has played for about five, six years now.”
The FA Chairman added that in view of that they believe they have more people capable of doing what Zaidu did, hence the need to invite such youth and give them the opportunity to sell themselves.
According to him, it is an opportunity for talented footballers across the state to come and showcase their talents for a bigger chance to play for European leagues and other leagues worldwide.
“Secondly, we believe that with the encouragement of Sen. Atiku Bagudu Football is one of the means of empowerment in the world, it is no longer just a game or leisure, it is now an economic venture where those who are good in football actually empowered.
“Once you are selected by any of the teams or leagues in the world you automatically become a millionaire and that’s why we say we should give a chance to our young talents across the state towards such empowerment.
“Football is the only game that gives that opportunity for young talents to graduate from zero Kobo to millionaires,” he noted.
On why the FA choose to invite Portugal first, Ladan said the country was already aware of Kebbi’s ability, adding that Zaidu Saidu was able to gain a permanent Jersey in the first 11 of his club in just six months.
Apart from that he said, the consortiums had a record of football achievements in Kebbi State through the efforts of Sen. Atiku Bagudu including the establishment of Kebbi United as well as sending some boys to Kwara Academy for the purpose of training them to be good footballers.
He explained that the consortium comprised four Portuguese and a Sweden based Nigerian who would oversee the selection process for successful talents to play not only in Portugal but also in Germany, Italy and other European countries.
While describing the exercise as the first of its kind in Northern Nigeria, the Chairman said they invited about 200 players but screened 120 across Kebbi and neighbouring Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kwara States.
He said by the end of the exercise, selected players would be marketed while successful ones would be fixed to European clubs and formally transfered from Nigeria to join their prospective clubs.
Ladan noted with satisfaction that the exercise was just a starting process, assuring that by August, the FA was expecting a team of Spanish coming for a similar exercise in Kebbi State.
“The Spanish team of consortium is a bigger organization than this one, they need about 300 talented players, that one is a clearer house of football activities representing interests of about 300 European Clubs and that’s why they need a larger number of players to select from,”the chairman said.
Portuguese, Swedish consortium scout Kebbi football talents for European clubs
