Why does Zambia struggle to export top young footballers ?

In Zambia most 15-year-olds are sidelined, mostly relegated to the junior sides; Soko bemoaned the status quo, revealing that a lot of talent remains un-marketed.

Another example is former French international Paul Pogba, who came through the ranks of the national team, starting from under 17, 20, and 23, and eventually the senior national team, in which he won the World Cup in 2018.

“If you look at the market value of the players, it’s above one or two million dollars at the academy, but in Zambia a player at the national team is valued below K50,000.”

Part of the challenge is that clubs often cherish players that fail to impress for foreign clubs, treating them supreme when they return at the expense of already existing young players.

“We have a lot of players who went for greener pastures; some went to Tanzania and other countries. When things are not ok, they return, and they are signed automatically, just because he was outside, which is blocking the young players.”

Interestingly, the coaches, when they sign for new clubs, carry a host of players from the old club, immediately discarding the ones at the new club. This ultimately impacts the young talent more. Soko, who has a wider experience in talent scouting and management, called on the Zambian Premier League and FAZ to make it mandatory for clubs to incorporate more young players in the top teams.

Article by Samuel Mutale