Colombian Jorge Mesa who works as a driver for the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the UN Office in Geneva was equally elated, "In addition to participating in this tournament, I enjoy playing together with my friends from Paraguay, Chile and other parts of the world every Friday." Jorge turned out for the UEFA team.
The amazing story that was Iceland, first-timers at the finals going all the way to the quarter finals knocking out the "mighty" England along the way. There's could have been a fairy tale to many but behind the scenes I believe the Icelanders knew they were capable.
Mathé, since you left a lot has changed, but for some strange reason, I feel it will not surprise you when I get to tell you my story. But before…
Note: This article has been adopted from an assignment I submitted for a post-graduate course. It is my own analysis based on information I could access and has not been endorsed by UEFA or any of the mentioned organisations.
UEFA – the Union of European Football Associations – is the governing body of European football. It is an association of associations, a representative democracy, and is the umbrella organisation of 54 national football associations across Europe. UEFA is a unique organisation because it is listed as a not-for-profit, but at the same time it is focused on maximising revenue. (more…)
The transfer window in Europe is proving to be quite interesting, generating a measure of excitement almost equal to that experienced in the course of the season. Manchester United looking like champions already, Raheem Sterling makes a ridiculously expensive move from Liverpool to Manchester City, Mourinho must be wondering why they are all playing so hard to catch up, while my dear Wenger is seated in the corner somewhere counting his coins making sure he did not drop any on his way from Singapore. Barcelona do not really care about FIFA’s transfer ban while Real Madrid have lost Iker, one of the few remaining madridistas. Back in my country Kenya the mid-season transfer was even more exciting. Looks like my beloved AFC Leopards replaced a whole team after a massive exodus due to financial woes. Players criss-crossing the country and continent in search of greener terrain with mixed fortunes. Talent looking for opportunity. (more…)
However, the report more importantly highlights the need for sound structures to facilitate the execution of such strategic business operations. AFC Leopards needs proper structures and strong leadership. Failure to address these issues renders any other initiatives futile.
In the wake of Zurich arrests and subsequent resignation of newly elected FIFA president Sepp Blatter, a lot of questions have been raised about the running of the world’s greatest game. At the end of World Cup 2014 in Brazil there was a lot of debate about FIFA’s choice for the Golden Ball Award, Lionel Messi. A lot of people felt, and rightly so, that Thomas Müller or Arjen Robben deserved the award more than Messi. While discussing this issue in one of my Whatsapp groups, I came up with an analogy that describes football for what it really is – a business, with owners, products and customers. The hallmark of capitalism. (more…)
Last year in April when I got wind that the finals of the UEFA Youth League would be at the Centre Sportif de Colovray, Nyon, I got really excited at the prospect of watching the Barcelona youth team (against Benfica). I could not resist the offer of a complementary ticket to the match even though the train ticket from Geneva to Nyon cost twice as much and it meant taking an afternoon off from work. Well, that is how much I love football, or rather how much I looked forward to watching the next Messi, Iniesta or Xavi! The match was quite good, but I must admit that it did not quite live up to my high expectations, more so the La Masia work in progress. (more…)
In my previous article, I fronted schools as the way to go when it comes to football development. I mentioned that one of the reasons this strategy will work is that most schools already have the required infrastructure, the key component being an open space usually marked with two goal posts facing each other. Infrastructure is indeed a key component in any development agenda, and it is not any different when it comes to sports, especially football. That is why I came up with a new word ‘infrastrategy’. Hopefully one day I will define this word and it will make it to the Oxford Dictionary of Language. For now I will just explore the idea behind the word.* (more…)
Late last year Football Kenya Federation launched the 10-year strategic plan for the development of football in Kenya. I have not managed to trace the document but I have read references to the same. One of the key proposals by the federation is to have an expanded premier league, from 16 to 18 teams; an approach that seeks to give more players a chance to grow and develop the standard and quality of the game. This is currently a major bone of contention in a war pitting the federation on one side and the Kenyan Premier League on the other, but that is a story for another day. This article aims to propose a strategy for football development in Kenya and Africa as a whole. (more…)