The Mania of Importing Failure
Outside the minuscule group of successful nations, mainly Spain, Brazil, Germany, Holland, France and few more, the rest of the football world incredibly still believe that by copying the mentality, practice and experiences of those leading nations they also, one day, will enjoy international glory.
Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America and many, many countries from Europe and South America – that will make approx., 95% of the football world – are living with the illusion that the answer to ultimate success in the game can only be worthy and reliable if it comes from those ‘advanced’ models.
Importing football philosophies, training methods, coaches and coaching courses, trainers, players and even administrators from Germany, Holland, France, England, Brazil or Spain have become a global mania.
There are two worlds in football today – one, very small, is of those who lead and the rest is of those who follow.
Astounding resources are invested by the ‘rest of the world’ in acquiring ‘advanced expertise’ from the very few well established football cultures that are at the top.
Playing football ‘like Barcelona’ or ‘like the Germans’ or Dutch, French, Brazilians, etc., is the unrealistically uncompromising ambition of scoreless of Football Associations, clubs, youth academies, coaches, players, supporters and media from the ‘rest of the world’.
With the help from obscure and dishonest ‘experts’ who can only survive in the game by supporting and exploiting the importation of foreign technology in their respective countries, the myth of football performance prosperity of the ‘rest of the world’ is still flourishing.
Few play principles that govern game concepts like the aspect of ball possession could be of universal acceptance but in application it reflects a team, nation or region specific identity; meaning it varies in diversity. This explains the difference between the older Dutch concept of ‘total football’ and the current more sophisticated, creative and successful type of ‘liberated’ football played by Barcelona that also employs ball possession as a dominant play attribute. The perception that Barcelona and Spain ‘copied’ the whole Dutch approach is incorrect. They share the ball possession principle but differ significantly in its application.
The ‘exporters’ of ‘advanced football’, they also play a major role in the ‘rest of the world’ illusionary expectations. Strong influences, especially of Eurocentric origin, persistently reinforce the ‘benefits’ of world’s dominating football societies for the ‘rest of the world’. Surely, this propaganda hides the interests of the football leading nations in acquiring or maintaining their zones of influence (political, economic and cultural) in other parts of the world or their interest in exporting unemployed coaches, discovery and recruiting of talented players and then moulding them in the European concept of play.
There is a global network of commercialized coaching and coaching courses, training, psychology, nutrition and other aspects of performance football which is targeting a naïve market of technicians in the ‘rest of the world’ for selling ‘modern recipes for success’. There is a high volume of speciality books, DVDs, conferences and workshops where the training methods, play systems and winning solutions used, for example, by the Dutch, English or German clubs or their youth academies are extensively marketed.
Sadly, even sport science knowledge related to a specific football context produced by European sources that does not recognize local players’ bio-social and environmental conditions has been validated and dogmatically applied in Africa. Asia and other regions.
It is incomprehensive that, as an example, African and Asian players have the predispositions to generate superior performance in relation to ball skill, tactical diversity, mobility, creativity, work rate and attractiveness and yet are being forced to adapt to play concepts like the German, Dutch, English or French which inherit many limitations especially when considered to address characteristics of African players and the Continent’s game environment and unique cultures.
Despite major flaws and incompatibility with other game environments and the trend of technically sophisticated football, the ‘advanced’ models of youth academies from England, Holland and France are still instituted and duplicated in many football underdeveloped countries. SA is one of the victims of this paradox.
The grossly idiotic refusal to accept that football mentalities, play systems, training methods and youth programmes DO NOT EXCELL OUTSIDE OF THE CULTURE THAT CREATED THEM is the main reason for indifferent performance or mediocrity in all countries that are dependent of importing technical solutions. Not one single example contradicts this axiom and experts like the Australian sport scientist Wayne Goldsmith provide piles of evidence on this matter.
The effects of a simple, basic drill or tactic generate different forms of stimulations, reactions and adaptations to African, Europeans, South Americans and so on.
Coaching that doesn’t show complete respect for the principle of recognizing players’ biological, social and cultural profile is empirical.
Foreign coaches’ who insist in introducing their style of play and tactical system to SA or any African players are faced with an unassailable task. The contrast between such coaching concepts and the nature and background of the players usually result in scrappy and inconsistent performances. Even when some local success is achieved by some clubs – Pirates, Ajax or Chiefs – players’ potential remains unfulfilled and international results do not satisfy. By the way, some of the foreign coaches and instructors who have been assigned to teach local coaches are indeed well qualified and experienced. Their problem is that the expertise they offer does not include as prerogative the unique nature of Africans. That’s where the predicament begins.
Those who hire foreign coaches in SA football quickly motivate their decisions by telling the ignorant followers and media that the qualification and experience of those coaches is badly needed to reach international standards and success. After decades of such promises the situation has not improved as per expectations. To make the matters worse the local coaches, at CAF and other courses, are taught principles and methods of coaching from the same foreign sources and mentality where the foreign coaches are coming from!
Very rare are cases of limited success where a foreign coach had previously worked with African players and learned about their attributes and weaknesses before coming to Africa. Still the local potential remained unfulfilled.
In general, the decline of standards and poor performances of African football were clearly exposed at the 2010 WC and recent U17 FIFA Youth Tournament. It’s not surprising then that South American young talent is now in high demand internationally overtaking Africa in this respect by large margins.
What is denied and abnormal is the fact that THE PROCESS OF MAXIMIZING PLAYERS’ POTENTIAL AND PERFORMANCE IS CULTURALY SPECIFIC. Any mismatch within this principle, even at the scale of detail, impedes optimal results. Yes, marginal improvements and accidental good results can be achieved with imported solutions but never, ever world class maximized winning results. This is what millions of football followers are not aware of because they are not told about it.
At one of the recent youth coaching clinic in Johannesburg a group of Dutch coaches gave a stern warning to the youngsters, local coaches and parents about the way the game should be played by children here. According to the Dutch coaches any SA youngster who wants to become a professional player and play in Europe must ‘not use tricks with the ball, must not pass with the outside of the foot or heel, must not run with the ball and take risks’ among other ‘don’ts’.
Ironically, all these things that a SA youngster ‘must not do’ in the game are successfully done by the likes of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and many of the new generation of international stars. How is it then possible for SA or African football to match the best in the world in such alienated and retrograde coaching mentality?
SA and African players in general are genetically SKILFUL and both genetically and culturally CREATIVE.
Shamefully, some journalists and football administrators were very happy with the ‘contribution of Dutch and other foreign coaches to the development of youth and coaching in SA’
What it is sinister and difficult to understand is FIFA’ silence on the harmful effects of contrasting coaching influences adopted from European powers and UEFA globalized coaching philosophy by so many football nations. Historically FIFA used to strongly oppose the copying or imitating playing concepts and coaching mentalities. In one of the FIFA’s technical book there is a very powerful and relevant statement that says:
‘Imitating a style or coaching ideas even if is done successfully by foreign coaches is rejected by most players on the basis of past experiences. This conclusion demands courage and patience to develop one’s own specific style. Officials and coaches should expect improved performance when contemplating one’s own strengths. A compatriot’s commitment to implement this in a team serves as a basis for this important target. Only he/she can be familiar with his players’ character, speaks their language and share the same background. Native coaches should know how to adapt inborn qualities such as talent for skill, temperament, constitution, etc., to the elements of technique, tactics and fitness. Thereby teams should be rising themselves above the stereotype notion of “general European football”. Human conduct as well as reactions and forms of expression conditioned by mentality are reflected in the teams’ style of play and organization on the field of play’.
Why this invaluable piece of knowledge is not persuaded by FIFA anymore? Isn’t obvious that the global spreading of contrasting and irrelevant playing concepts and coaching mentalities are hampering the progress of the game?
Spectacular advancement on several sciences’ fields makes the development and application of nationally or regionally specific approaches to youth development and high performance football not only possible but also extremely necessary and urgent.
With a fraction of the money uselessly spent on acquiring foreign technical expertise SA can benefit immensely from locally defined solutions. Let’s remember that in 1994 the Esselen Sport School of Excellence introduced a youth coaching concept that was regarded by FIFA and many other leading international experts as unique and one of the best in the world. Beside the knowledge accumulated from other few local programmes run by SA technicians with relevant qualification, new ideas and innovations would make that experience and results many times better today.
A plethora of locally researched and experimented high performance training methods adds answers to the pressing need of developing a specific system of coaching knowledge and practice that is fully competent to address the uniqueness of SA football. Rejecting or ignoring it becomes unpatriotic, isn’t………………………… ……………………………….. ………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Mania of Importing Failure
Outside the minuscule group of successful nations, mainly Spain, Brazil, Germany, Holland, France and few more, the rest of the football world incredibly still believe that by copying the mentality, practice and experiences of those leading nations they also, one day, will enjoy international glory.
Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America and many, many countries from Europe and South America – that will make approx., 95% of the football world – are living with the illusion that the answer to ultimate success in the game can only be worthy and reliable if it comes from those ‘advanced’ models.
Importing football philosophies, training methods, coaches and coaching courses, trainers, players and even administrators from Germany, Holland, France, England, Brazil or Spain have become a global mania.
There are two worlds in football today – one, very small, is of those who lead and the rest is of those who follow.
Astounding resources are invested by the ‘rest of the world’ in acquiring ‘advanced expertise’ from the very few well established football cultures that are at the top.
Playing football ‘like Barcelona’ or ‘like the Germans’ or Dutch, French, Brazilians, etc., is the unrealistically uncompromising ambition of scoreless of Football Associations, clubs, youth academies, coaches, players, supporters and media from the ‘rest of the world’.
With the help from obscure and dishonest ‘experts’ who can only survive in the game by supporting and exploiting the importation of foreign technology in their respective countries, the myth of football performance prosperity of the ‘rest of the world’ is still flourishing.
Few play principles that govern game concepts like the aspect of ball possession could be of universal acceptance but in application it reflects a team, nation or region specific identity; meaning it varies in diversity. This explains the difference between the older Dutch concept of ‘total football’ and the current more sophisticated, creative and successful type of ‘liberated’ football played by Barcelona that also employs ball possession as a dominant play attribute. The perception that Barcelona and Spain ‘copied’ the whole Dutch approach is incorrect. They share the ball possession principle but differ significantly in its application.
The ‘exporters’ of ‘advanced football’, they also play a major role in the ‘rest of the world’ illusionary expectations. Strong influences, especially of Eurocentric origin, persistently reinforce the ‘benefits’ of world’s dominating football societies for the ‘rest of the world’. Surely, this propaganda hides the interests of the football leading nations in acquiring or maintaining their zones of influence (political, economic and cultural) in other parts of the world or their interest in exporting unemployed coaches, discovery and recruiting of talented players and then moulding them in the European concept of play.
There is a global network of commercialized coaching and coaching courses, training, psychology, nutrition and other aspects of performance football which is targeting a naïve market of technicians in the ‘rest of the world’ for selling ‘modern recipes for success’. There is a high volume of speciality books, DVDs, conferences and workshops where the training methods, play systems and winning solutions used, for example, by the Dutch, English or German clubs or their youth academies are extensively marketed.
Sadly, even sport science knowledge related to a specific football context produced by European sources that does not recognize local players’ bio-social and environmental conditions has been validated and dogmatically applied in Africa. Asia and other regions.
It is incomprehensive that, as an example, African and Asian players have the predispositions to generate superior performance in relation to ball skill, tactical diversity, mobility, creativity, work rate and attractiveness and yet are being forced to adapt to play concepts like the German, Dutch, English or French which inherit many limitations especially when considered to address characteristics of African players and the Continent’s game environment and unique cultures.
Despite major flaws and incompatibility with other game environments and the trend of technically sophisticated football, the ‘advanced’ models of youth academies from England, Holland and France are still instituted and duplicated in many football underdeveloped countries. SA is one of the victims of this paradox.
The grossly idiotic refusal to accept that football mentalities, play systems, training methods and youth programmes DO NOT EXCELL OUTSIDE OF THE CULTURE THAT CREATED THEM is the main reason for indifferent performance or mediocrity in all countries that are dependent of importing technical solutions. Not one single example contradicts this axiom and experts like the Australian sport scientist Wayne Goldsmith provide piles of evidence on this matter.
The effects of a simple, basic drill or tactic generate different forms of stimulations, reactions and adaptations to African, Europeans, South Americans and so on.
Coaching that doesn’t show complete respect for the principle of recognizing players’ biological, social and cultural profile is empirical.
Foreign coaches’ who insist in introducing their style of play and tactical system to SA or any African players are faced with an unassailable task. The contrast between such coaching concepts and the nature and background of the players usually result in scrappy and inconsistent performances. Even when some local success is achieved by some clubs – Pirates, Ajax or Chiefs – players’ potential remains unfulfilled and international results do not satisfy. By the way, some of the foreign coaches and instructors who have been assigned to teach local coaches are indeed well qualified and experienced. Their problem is that the expertise they offer does not include as prerogative the unique nature of Africans. That’s where the predicament begins.
Those who hire foreign coaches in SA football quickly motivate their decisions by telling the ignorant followers and media that the qualification and experience of those coaches is badly needed to reach international standards and success. After decades of such promises the situation has not improved as per expectations. To make the matters worse the local coaches, at CAF and other courses, are taught principles and methods of coaching from the same foreign sources and mentality where the foreign coaches are coming from!
Very rare are cases of limited success where a foreign coach had previously worked with African players and learned about their attributes and weaknesses before coming to Africa. Still the local potential remained unfulfilled.
In general, the decline of standards and poor performances of African football were clearly exposed at the 2010 WC and recent U17 FIFA Youth Tournament. It’s not surprising then that South American young talent is now in high demand internationally overtaking Africa in this respect by large margins.
What is denied and abnormal is the fact that THE PROCESS OF MAXIMIZING PLAYERS’ POTENTIAL AND PERFORMANCE IS CULTURALY SPECIFIC. Any mismatch within this principle, even at the scale of detail, impedes optimal results. Yes, marginal improvements and accidental good results can be achieved with imported solutions but never, ever world class maximized winning results. This is what millions of football followers are not aware of because they are not told about it.
At one of the recent youth coaching clinic in Johannesburg a group of Dutch coaches gave a stern warning to the youngsters, local coaches and parents about the way the game should be played by children here. According to the Dutch coaches any SA youngster who wants to become a professional player and play in Europe must ‘not use tricks with the ball, must not pass with the outside of the foot or heel, must not run with the ball and take risks’ among other ‘don’ts’.
Ironically, all these things that a SA youngster ‘must not do’ in the game are successfully done by the likes of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and many of the new generation of international stars. How is it then possible for SA or African football to match the best in the world in such alienated and retrograde coaching mentality?
SA and African players in general are genetically SKILFUL and both genetically and culturally CREATIVE.
Shamefully, some journalists and football administrators were very happy with the ‘contribution of Dutch and other foreign coaches to the development of youth and coaching in SA’
What it is sinister and difficult to understand is FIFA’ silence on the harmful effects of contrasting coaching influences adopted from European powers and UEFA globalized coaching philosophy by so many football nations. Historically FIFA used to strongly oppose the copying or imitating playing concepts and coaching mentalities. In one of the FIFA’s technical book there is a very powerful and relevant statement that says:
‘Imitating a style or coaching ideas even if is done successfully by foreign coaches is rejected by most players on the basis of past experiences. This conclusion demands courage and patience to develop one’s own specific style. Officials and coaches should expect improved performance when contemplating one’s own strengths. A compatriot’s commitment to implement this in a team serves as a basis for this important target. Only he/she can be familiar with his players’ character, speaks their language and share the same background. Native coaches should know how to adapt inborn qualities such as talent for skill, temperament, constitution, etc., to the elements of technique, tactics and fitness. Thereby teams should be rising themselves above the stereotype notion of “general European football”. Human conduct as well as reactions and forms of expression conditioned by mentality are reflected in the teams’ style of play and organization on the field of play’.
Why this invaluable piece of knowledge is not persuaded by FIFA anymore? Isn’t obvious that the global spreading of contrasting and irrelevant playing concepts and coaching mentalities are hampering the progress of the game?
Spectacular advancement on several sciences’ fields makes the development and application of nationally or regionally specific approaches to youth development and high performance football not only possible but also extremely necessary and urgent.
With a fraction of the money uselessly spent on acquiring foreign technical expertise SA can benefit immensely from locally defined solutions. Let’s remember that in 1994 the Esselen Sport School of Excellence introduced a youth coaching concept that was regarded by FIFA and many other leading international experts as unique and one of the best in the world. Beside the knowledge accumulated from other few local programmes run by SA technicians with relevant qualification, new ideas and innovations would make that experience and results many times better today.
A plethora of locally researched and experimented high performance training methods adds answers to the pressing need of developing a specific system of coaching knowledge and practice that is fully competent to address the uniqueness of SA football. Rejecting or ignoring it becomes unpatriotic.
