DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 18 -- FOR a long time, I have been writing in my sports columns the importance of establishing soccer academies for training, from tender age, our future soccer stars in basic football.
I have also repeatedly frowned on our clubs' massive reliance on cheap, street made soccer players most of whom think kicking around the ball on the pitch and scoring here and there is all that a club needs from them.
But much as I have debased street made soccer players that does not, however, mean that among such players there is no one that can rise and become a respected, professional soccer player for say, a top flight European club.
The point is, I have debased such players because getting such players into the professional rank ...