The Head of International Youth Programs for Bayern Munich FC, Lars Weichert, has assured that the club will provide coaching and technical support to Nigerian football clubs and academies.
Weichert, is a UEFA Champion League winner with Bayern Munich who has been championing a Bayern Youth Cup program to impact the development of young footballers in Nigeria.
Weichert while sharing the experience of the just concluded 7th edition with journalists, acknowledged the physicality aspect of Nigerian players.
He also described Nigeria as a place for incredible potentials to develop youth talents in the world.
According to him, ”We hold digital calls with local coaches in the context of coaches education. our upcoming platform “FC Bayern Online Campus” will allow Nigerian coaches and academies to access educational content from our youth academy.”
Speaking further, Weichert said, “I’m always amazed by the hunger and passion that Nigerian boys have to make it all the way into the professional game. This competitive mindset should be exemplary for players in other places, even for those in our own youth academy.”
When asked about the progress of Nigerian youth football in terms of technical skills, tactical awareness, and physical development over the past seven years of the Bayern Youth Cup Nigeria, Weichert said Team Nigeria has been improving every year in the tournament.
“Their first appearances were not so successful but in the past 3 years they won the cup twice, which goes to show a clear path for success.
“Apart from the collective performances, we’ve also managed to bring individual players further in their careers and open the doors to Europe for them: Victor Orakpo at OGC Nice, Daniel Francis at Wacker Innsbruck and David Emmanuel in Hessen Kassel are examples of this,” he remarked.
Speaking on standout players, teams that caught his attention during the 7th edition of the tournament, the former Bayern Munich star said, “I had already seen Murtala Yusuf last year, he developed further and proved himself this year as a special talent. If he continues on this path, everything could be possible for him in his career.
In principle, we notice that every year the level keeps increasing at the Youth Cup Nigeria. It would be interesting to see the boys playing 11-a-side football. If I had to mention more concrete players, they would be Timothy Israel and Gorku Ishiaku.”
He equally admonished young Nigerian Players to set clear goals, be patience in achieving their them and also learn how to deal positively against any setbacks.
The seventh edition of the Bayern Youth Cup Nigeria took place at the Inspire Sports Complex (Nitel Pitch), Lagos.
Teams which participated include: Alpha FC, Rangers FC, Inspire SA, Utmost FA, Dan Alkali FC, BetaFC, Select FC, STL FC, Ablaze FA, Femi Gbaja FA, TFA Squad and FC Bako.