Yus, you're absolutely right. The players tend to have more respect for foreign
coaches than local coaches, which is really unfortunate. A combination of
inferiority complex and the perception those foreign coaches are more
technically adept than the indigenous coaches are the main reason for this
ignorance. However, this is something that we Africans need to get out of our
system. We tend to value without merit, the other over our own. Our
governments receive loans from the west and then use a greater part of that loan
creating employment for their citizens (the West). A good start to stem this
tide in the case of football is to educate the football association members and
the players, because the misconceptions are mainly due to lack of awareness. I
believe greater awareness will improve our perception of each other.
Yus, are you able to access the Gambianews forum, lately? I could, but only at
work. I guess this is another Gestapo tactic. Looks like it's only myself and
Mohammed who managed to scramble through. Let me know your thoughts on this
one. Also, have you heard from Ebou Saye, lately?
Later
Joe Sambou
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: SV: Re: European Coaches in African Football
Author: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]> at PO_EXTERNET
Date: 01/12/2000 12:06 PM
Omar, Joe, OB and all our devoted soccer fans, thanks for all the comments. It
is obvious that the over paid foreign coach is not particularly good for
African soccer. Again, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that they are
better than some of our local ones. In addition, as Omar pointed out, they
are a big money drain and serve to deplete our financial resources at the
expense of our up and coming soccer stars and even the poor people of Africa.
The blame for this over-reliance on foreign tacticians partly falls on our
respective football associations. But, a big part of the blame has to go to
our players. They have no respect for the local coach. Instead, they tend to
work harder for the foreign coach. Case in point, the members of the Nigerian
squad undermined their local coach in Ahmadu Shaibu and specifically asked for
a foreign coach. Similarly, back in the 80s, I noticed the extreme dedication
and loyalty that our players showed to coach Obberman. Is this because of an
inferiority complex, or do our players think that the foreign coach is more
tactically adept?
In regard to the saga of George Weah, I have the utmost respect for him. He
is proof that if you work hard enough at what you do, one can scale any
height. He is also a great ambassador for African soccer and he has helped
many stars play pro soccer in Europe. Considering that he is one of the
greatest to ever wear the Milan jersey, AC Milan is guilty of treating him
very badly. In my opinion, he should have retired with Milan and his name
should go down in team folklore as one of the greatest players to play for
the team. But soccer is a big money business and I respect Weah for going
somewhere else where his skills will be more appreciated.
Yus
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