Scouts working for some European clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City and Stoke City are in Gombe for a football tournament to harness young talents for various clubs in Europe.
The tournament is organised by Mailantarki Care Football Academy (MCFA) in collaboration with UDE Sports Management, Lagos and Gombe states’ Football Association.
Mr Khamisu Mailantarki, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MCFA in an interview with newsmen at the Pantami Stadium on Monday said the tournament was to harness football potentials in Northern Nigeria.
Mailantarki said more than 500 youths would be showcased to the scouts and the major aim was to develop youths in Gombe and Northern Nigeria.
According to him, the tournament has gulped over N150 million and “the sponsorship is under MCFA and at no cost to the youths because we want to build these talents.”
He lamented that the composition of Nigerian players playing in European leagues and the national team, majority of them are from the Southern part meaning the talents in the north are not well harnessed.
“We lack this kind of opportunities to raise talents of the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokaci, Tijani Babangida and Ahmed Musa. This is what we want to do here.”
The sports enthusiast said the determination to succeed in this quest led to the partnership with UDE Sports, stressing that UDE Sports had been involved in the transfer of over 100 Nigerian players to Europe.
He commended Gov Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state for laying good leadership foundation that is sustaining peaceful coexistence in the state, noting that the tournament held in Gombe because of the peace in the state.
On his part, Mr Uche Egbukwu, the Chief Executive Officer of UDE Sports Management said he was invited to help showcase Northern youths to European clubs as his scouting outfit had done in Southern part of the country.
Egbukwu said scouting remained a key tool towards harnessing young talents that can turn their potentials to greatness through football.
“I have been involved in the successful transfer of over 75 Nigerian players to different European clubs.
“For examples players like Vincent Enyeama, Victor Osimhen, Obafemi Martin’s, Kenneth Omeruo, Obina Nwaneri, Nwakwali, Wilfred Ndidi and many more, I have been involved,” he said.
According to him, if you deny these youths this platform, they will fall in the hands of fake scouts.
He added that over 1, 000 Nigerian players had been duped by fake scouts under the pretense that they want to take them to European clubs.
He said for players that would pass the tests from the scouts, their documentation and paper works would be concluded before December and they would be out of the country latest before January, 2022.
Mr Basil Kabbani, the leader of the scouting team from Manchester, England said they were in the state and the country to look for the best of Nigerian talents and take them to European.
Kabbani said the young players would be trained with the modern technology that had not been used in the history of scouting in the country.
He said the players would be put through physical, psychological, tactical and technical tests to ensure that there stamina, speed were good for football.
According to him, the Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking, stamina, spring and catapult technology which will be used during the five-day event was the first in Nigeria.
He stressed that Nigeria has “unbelievable” talents which when harnessed properly could give the right platform for players to play in Europe.
He advised young players to have the right mentality and jettison putting money first ahead of their career which make players go to the wrong clubs.
“We are here to nurture the players and make sure they have the right clubs and the right mentality to develop themselves and become world class,” he said.
The football stakeholders also appreciated Mr Tanimu Umar, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for doing the ground works for the successful commencement of the tournament in the state.
