[quote=Alba][quote=nakujua][quote=Alba]Considering that Cape Verde are ranked number 32 by FIFA and harambee stars are ranked 125. And considering how poor harambee stars preparations are, its a good win.

Goes to show that Harambee stars can play well if given a chance. If you give Harambee stars the proper level of prepararion needed, they can go to the Top 70 in the FIFA rankings.

if you institute even a semblance of a youth development scheme, they can go to the top 50. Wale wanasema eti Kenyans cannot play football are missing the point. [/quote]
well it was a good win, but lets first wait for Tuesday - hope they do not let us down, I am sure if they are determined enough they can park the bus for 90 min. :-) [/quote]

I am just saying that in general, when provided with the appropriate level of support , planning and incentives, harambee stars are quite capable. That is what is missing in Kenya football. [/quote]
Of course with a proper enabling environment they might do better - but at the end of the day those who succeed learn to work best with what is available.
But football in Kenya has a very narrow scope when it comes to selection, its based on specific areas of Nairobi - and if you are not from those areas it becomes very hard to break through.

Lakini ni pole pole tu, I hope we can start building on the kidogo successes we get, without falling back again.

[quote=Alba][quote=nakujua]
Of course with a proper enabling environment they might do better - but at the end of the day those who succeed learn to work best with what is available.
But football in Kenya has a very narrow scope when it comes to selection, its based on specific areas of Nairobi - and if you are not from those areas it becomes very hard to break through.

Lakini ni pole pole tu, I hope we can start building on the kidogo successes we get, without falling back again.[/quote]

I disagree entirely with the bolded section.

The truth is that those who succeed are usually the ones who are provided with an enabling environment.

Neither Messi nor Ronaldo nor any of the top European stars would have succeeded to the extent they have if they had grown up in Kenya.

Messi is who he is because he enrolled at the Barcelona Youth academy when he was only 13. There he learned from the best youth coaches, who enforce proper technique, proper habits, teach positiioning, use of both feet etc and other issues that are best learned at youth level.

Now contrast this with the average Kenya player, growing up in Kibera, playing with ball ya jwala, never learning to head or trap the ball properly, never learning basic positioning etc.

You think a Kenyan player has a chance of being as good as a player who enrolled at a European youth academy?

I think not. Its like expecting a chokora to be as well behaved and studious as a person who grew up in a Middle class family and attended school throughout.
[/quote]

@ Alba While I agree that enabling environment is a factor it is not the only factor. A number of of Brazilians rose from abject poverty to soccer stardom. Defensive midfielder Amaral, now retired worked in a morgue before his breakthrough in professional football.
Arsenal's Sanchez is another example of those who have overcome misery to rise to the top.Sanchez used to perform acrobatics and box in the street for money.
There is nothing to suggest that Afrian stars such as George Weah had it easy in their formative stages.

[quote=Alba]@kaka2za


Note that in Kenya, not only are youth development structures missing, but also Kenya has no active youth teams for U17 and U20.

[/quote]

MYSA is the largest youth sports organization in Africa with over 1000 teams and 14,000 players. They have leagues from age 10 to 18 years and they regularly participate in the largest youth football tournament in the world (Norway Cup) which they've actually won a couple of times. A huge number of the players we have are products of MYSA.

What we need is to support such initiatives and encourage clubs such as Gor, AFC, Tusker etc to have similar youth systems.

Why didn't the team fly out yesterday to have at least a day's rest? Is the flight a direct or a connecting one?

but is it really about the youth system it certainly plays a role but why don't we see Mali and Nigeria doing well at the senior world cup, I think their under 17 teams are always at the top of the world.

I am sure England must have some crazy youth facilities, I think its more in discovering willing talent, and that needs a search all over the country, not specific areas.