Brazilian coach stresses school-level football activities

KARACHI: Brazilian football coach Romildo Sanchez said on Monday that for football development a country needs to have a strong system at school level.

“You know the real talent comes from schools. If you don’t have a system at school level for football development it means you are missing the target,” Sanchez told ‘The News’ after a press briefing here at the Karachi Press Club.

The US-based Brazilian arrived here on Sunday for holding coaching clinics with the students of the Foundation Public School and Head Start School, school children of Lyari and other areas of the city.

Sanchez is also expected to visit Hyderabad to grace the launching ceremony of the Foundation United Soccer Academy and hold coaching clinic with Hyderabad’s footballers.

Sanchez said schools are the nurseries of the game. He added that it was not easy to grow the game in any country without the contribution of schools.

He said that in Brazil organsied leagues were held at the school level. “When there is a league system at school level, the coaches of clubs go there and pick the best talent and groom it,” Sanchez added.

He did not have any clear idea about Pakistan’s football but he stressed that a professional league was very important for the game development.

Earlier, the Foundation Public School’s management introduced Sanchez. Its Managing Director Reza Minhas and Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) former Director Youth Development Siddiq Sheikh were also present at the briefing.

Sanchez has come on an 11-day visit on the invitation of the Foundation United Soccer Academy, which works under the Foundation Public School.

Sanchez said at the briefing that he would not be able to give enough time to the young footballers during his brief stay but he would instruct coaches in the next few days who would then utilise their knowledge while training their students.

He also visited the FPS Clifton Campus and held interactive sessions with the football teams. Sanchez’s aim is to teach the youth the basics of the game like warming up and technical and tactical aspects of the game.

He is scheduled to train 200 players and 100 coaches.

The provincial and district associations can also get benefit of his stay, the organisers said.

Sanchez works as Director Players Club of Tampa Bay, Florida.

He has been helping children in the US develop their skills by teaching them fundamental and technical aspects of the game.

In 1993, he had the opportunity to be a part of two important events in the US. The first one was “Soccer Blast: USA Legends of Soccer” tour, where he worked with reputable players such as Desmond Armstrong and Michelle Akers Stahl, both from the US national team of that time.

Hundreds of children aged 8-16 came to improve their knowledge and skill.

The second was the US CUP 1993, where he worked with the American and Brazilian national teams.

In 1996, he helped establish the Valrico Soccer Club.

In 1999, he moved on to create ‘The Players Club of Tampa Bay’, a youth soccer organisation dedicated to football development.

Sanchez is also expected to witness a match during the NBP All Pakistan Football tournament here at the KPT Sports Complex on Tuesday (today).