Former Malian international Frédéric Kanouté has called for the establishment of strong academy systems in Zambia, in order to produce players capable of competing at the highest level.

Kanouté, a football consultant for ZPL National League side Kafue Celtic, stressed the importance of continuous development of coaches, particularly at grassroots and academy level.

The influential former international, through his sports agency 12Management, helped facilitate the transfers of Enock Mwepu and Patson Daka from Kafue Celtic to Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg.

Kanouté noted that every visit shows clear progress, both on and off the pitch.

“Every time I come, the mission is different because I can see improvement, so we try to set the bar a little bit higher. I obviously follow the results, but for me, the content of the work is more important”

He highlighted major strides made by the club over the past few years.

“A couple of years ago, you couldn’t see all this — in terms of infrastructure, organisation, the quality of coaches, the accommodation system and even the school system that has been put in place,” Kanouté said.

He said. “There must be a very strong programme to develop grassroots coaches and academy coaches, and to build academies where kids can train daily at a high level, while also focusing on their studies. All this requires very strong organisation.”

Kanouté added that a holistic approach is key to sustainable football development.

“We still have a long journey ahead, but it’s heading in the right direction. As long as you see the correct attitude, they will achieve their goals” he stated.

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