Why Africa Hasn't Won Any World Cup

By waiswa Submitted on 4 November, 2009 - 12:51
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I have been watching so many World Cups involving under-age players (that is from under 17 to 23 years old). What I have realized is that most African countries use players who are over-age and end up winning these tournaments. Unless we change this habit it will be very difficult for an African country to win a senior World Cup.

Why African countries do this is because most Africans like cheating in the name of wanting to win. You find that a boy of 14 years is fielded to play with boys of 11 years. In the end those of 14 years will come out victorious simply because they will have out-muscled the other team of 11 years.

This system is transferred to the International level and in so doing African teams field players in age groups which they shouldn’t be playing for. An example is that a player who is 20 years old is made to play in the under 17 team. As I talk now this is what is happening during this years’ Under 17 World Cup, which is taking place in Nigeria.

Why we don’t win the senior World Cup is because while over-aged players out-muscle the other countries, these very boys are not given enough challenge by the weaker opponents who are not of their age group. Now when it comes to the senior tournament where they meet opponents with equally tough muscles, they will end up losing out.

What brings this all about is officials who enable cheating, by encouraging these young players to lie about their age. The problem is not helped by the fact that we don’t keep records of these young players as they develop, so as to monitor and know their age as they grow up -- which European counties do.

Players should have their birth certificates in place and their development should be monitored from around the age of 6. In so doing it will be very easy to know how old a player is at a given time and what improvement he will have attained by then. This will be helped by setting up academies, which should be working hand-in-hand with the local federations.