By Chigozie Chukwuleta
It is the desire of Africans to see football in the continent move to the next level at the global stage. In this interview, Sierra Leone ex-international, former Inter Milan, Monaco striker Mohammed Kallon gave insight into the way forward and other football matters
Excerpts…..
Q. You have been in Nigeria for some time ( Coal City International Cup, Friendly match against Enyimba), how would you describe your stay with your team in Nigeria?
A. I think it’s been very positive because that’s why we came here to challenge ourselves. We need to go out of our comfort zone to see how others play and how they prepare and now we got a good one from the Nigerian teams, Shooting Stars, Remo Stars, Enyimba and Rangers. They are all solid teams for us. When we go back home we are going to learn from this, we’re all young, young coaches and players. So, this is very important for us to go back and challenge ourselves more and then maybe next year if we have the opportunity to come back the whole story is going to be different.
It’s been fantastic. I have to give thumbs up to Enyimba and the management. The TM has been fantastic from the day before our game against them. Even when we were in Enugu we had difficulties in competition because it didn’t go how they planned it but I think the management of Enyimba came in and they have been great hosts so far. The hospitality is great. We got everything we wanted and to the game proper, the game was perfect. It was really a friendly game where both teams want to play. We want to say thank you to them, thanks to Papilo my elder brother for the invitation and the opportunity to come to Nigeria and have a good stay.
Q.So which Nigerian food do you prefer?
A. (Smiles) I love the jollof rice and assorted meat. I liked most part of Nigerian foods l tried but jollof rice and assorted meat is my favourite. I have a lot of Nigerian friends during my playing days. Like Nwankwo Papilo Kanu, I have known him all my life. He is one of my senior players that encouraged us when we started playing.
Q. You’ve played the much talked about friendly match against Enyimba FC, what is your assessment of the game?
A. I think it was an interesting one, both teams want to play which is the objective. They want to play, want to challenge each other. Great nations in football and we’ve played four games now and we’ve tested and challenged ourselves. I know when we go back home it will be a lesson to us and see how we can confront other important games.
Q. Now African teams are coming up in terms of football and you have been in the terrain for long, how will you describe African football outside Africa?
A. This is the best way to go, the only way to go challenging ourselves with the best. Nigeria obviously is one of the greatest in football when it comes to our continent. They have improved a lot in playing systematic football, organized football and tactical football which is good. I think if we want to improve we should be hosting international friendlies just to challenge the players to move them from their comfort zone. Because if we always stay in our comfort zone then how are you going to know how it works. Only when you qualify for the continent, you have only one shot if you go out away they give you 5-0 you come home it is difficult. So us coming out here playing four games here with all these positive results because in the all the games we scored. So if we score one goal and even we lose 2-1 you’re coming back to our home..if we learn that. Start exposing our teams, challenge the players, take them away, let’s go to Morocco in Northern Africa where they have been dominating for the past 10-20 years. We want to challenge them, we want to challenge ourselves that is our objective. I think African football is moving and if African football have to move to places then I think Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana should be the first.
Q. Talking about the West African teams trying to challenge the North African teams. What do you think the West African teams can do differently to get to the levels of the North African teams?
A. In football you don’t necessarily have to do different things. Before, the methodology changes once a decade but now it changes every year. So, every year you have to equip yourself with the knowledge and change the method of playing. So now in the case of the West and the North Africans they have been ten steps ahead of us so we have to come back and practice the right way, play football the right way and not only look to win. You look to develop players, you look to educate players from a young age and it is a process. I mean if we, Nigeria is leading obviously we have thousands of Nigerians playing overseas so if we have more players competing at that level when you come back home it is easier. When we were playing it was so difficult to challenge, to compete in Europe because we were few African players and the competitions were very competitive and it is hard. So you have to be extra talented or extra lucky to grace that stage but now we have to come back. First we have to challenge the North before going to the West and we can do it. For example, Nigeria, Ghana they have all the might, they have all the resources they have everything. We just have to compose, organise ourselves well, manage our players and then challenge our players more. Take them to Europe, for example my team for the past twenty years we have been going to Europe every year, every year we take our young boys to Europe to challenge themselves. It serves as an eye opener so that they get more experience .
Q. We have African players all over the world and in terms of reaching the world Cup trophy we are still struggling. How do you think we can get there?
A. But winning is a process, for you to win it has to be a process. You have to develop, you have to organize, you have to manage well, you have to prepare the players. We have to have academies from youth age, from age 5-18 so you do the transition. If you want to be the best you challenge the best. For now the West is the best and they’re doing all the age category from 4-18 so why are the Nigerian teams not doing it. So we have to go to that, if you want to be the best you have to copy from the best, so we have to go back to that route for all the projects in Africa. Encourage the boys to play football the right way. Give them the football education because most of us have been challenged and have gone through the international coaching badges talking about the CAF license and the UEFA license. So all of us with that are obligated to come back home and transmit what we have learned.
Q. One of your players had an accident in Enugu and went for surgery, how is he faring?
A. That’s part of the game and he is young, I think he is the youngest player in the team so that’s minor injury. We have gone through that as well, some of us have more than ten injuries. It is going to take few months out and he is going to come back very strong.
Q. How would you describe football in your days and what we have now. What do you think is lacking?
A. I think it is a different generation so I don’t think that comparison will match up. Because this is the technology generation, so they’re having things different, they’re a little bit distracted because most of the time they spend it on their phone and in our own days it was very difficult. The same difficulties we faced as coaches, ex-players went to coach in New York that was the same challenge we had when we had to perform in Europe to be able to play for the big clubs it was difficult. Late 90’s early 2000’s, it was really difficult to compete at that level with great players from Brazil, Argentina and all the Europeans and they have all the opportunity because any amount of European can play in any team but only three Africans can play in any team so it was challenging, it was really difficult. So you had to put in the work, you had to be very focused and determined. Then obviously to play on that level you know that for sure you are not only playing for yourself or your country, you are playing for the continent as well, because by now I think Africans are recognized and recommended in Europe just because of our efforts. The likes of J.J, Kanu, Martins, Mikel, I think all we did was to pave way for the young generation. Now I think they’re enjoying it because it is a little bit easier to compete because they have their phones, they can go on YouTube, they can inspire themselves by watching. In our days we didn’t have mentors we didn’t have anyone to look up to so we had to do it ourselves.
Q. What is your word to young African players?
A. For me it is a beautiful sport, it is a multi-million dollar sport where if you are lucky and you get into some situation at the right time you can achieve a lot. It takes determination, focus, perseverance and luck for you to get to that stage so whenever you have that opportunity you have to go all in to make it. I know we have a lot of distractions now with clubs, a lot of players want to party. It is a one way thing, if you want to make it you have to sacrifice so you have to forgo all the parties, all the nightlife and focus on playing. Then when you’ve achieved you still have another fourty years to live, so this is what we don’t understand in Africa. Our players are too hasty to enjoy themselves. Yes at that early age you can do your flashy cars and everything but being wise with your investment is important because football doesn’t have pension and you finish very very quick. After 15-20 years you’re done so you have another 40 years to live. So life after football is very important, so whatever you’re fortunate to achieve learn to come back home and teach the young ones. Save and invest wisely so that you can be able to sustain yourself to live your life.
Q. FC Kallon is all about you returning what you got back to your hometown. How have you been sustaining it and what is the drive?
A. For me I am obligated, you cannot compare Sierra Leone to Nigeria. Nigeria is filled with wealth, mineral resources and everything and you have thousands of players who have made it in football in Europe and all. But in Sierra Leone you can count it is only few. Maybe if I am not the only one then we’re few, so when I had the opportunity to achieve in Europe I think I was obligated to go back home and create that atmosphere where you can bring hope to most of the youths because there is nothing else to do. So I was obligated to go back home and invest. So one of the investments I can do is to create a football team where I can encourage and teach young boys to play football the right way. Yes everyone wants to play football it’s not just carrying the ball and kicking, you have to create that educational atmosphere where players can play football in a good performance environment. The only way you can create that environment is when you study Europe or when you have the opportunity to expose yourself and learn in Europe then you can come back with your expertise and see how you can challenge the homebase players with what they can do. So o that is exactly what I am doing with FC Kallon. The team is still young, only 20 years old. Most of these boys it is their first time they even flying so you know how excited they are. So coming for the tournament in Enugu we played exciting football, we enjoyed ourselves and in Aba again we had fun.
Q. You played with Kanu in Inter Milan. You had your best days of football exactly at Inter Milan, who was your best friend?
A. I had a lot of best friends because I am that guy with the sense of humor that interacted with everyone and I made a lot of friends but Martins was my main guy because we grew up together and he was playing for the junior team before he then transitioned to the first team and then we were sharing the same room everyday so he was my closest guy.
