Fifa congress: Nigeria legend Okocha calls event in Rwanda a ‘huge advert’ for Africa
Staff, 2023-03-17 14:10:28,
Thursday’s Fifa congress threw up a host of possibilities for football’s future as Gianni Infantino mooted a salary cap, a so-called Fifa World Series, a Club World Cup for women and equal pay for both genders at the World Cup.
The move has been welcomed by many, including former Cameroon international Geremi.
“For me, it’s very, very big news,” the former Real Madrid and Chelsea midfielder told BBC Sport Africa.
“In Africa, we don’t have enough competitions and to be a professional, you need to start young.”
Geremi played at every youth level for Cameroon, winning the African U17 title, and he explained how playing in an Under-14 tournament overseas completely changed his mindset.
“I started with an Under-14 competition in France. It was my first time to travel to Europe and when I came back, I was like another person.”
“For a youth to play at this level, it makes you become a mature player at the age of 20 or 21, which is very important.”
He also believes that giving more of the continent’s youngsters the chance to shine in such competitions “will see more Africans playing for big, big clubs”.
The announcement regarding the U17 World Cup aligns with Fifa’s announcement of a Talent Development Scheme, propelled by $200m of investment from football’s governing body over the next three years.
Spearheaded by former Arsenal coach Arsene…
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