Wedson Nyirenda weighs in on African football and CAF standard | OneFootball

Wedson Nyirenda prises African football

Wedson Nyirenda/@SABC Sport

Zambian football coach Wedson Nyirenda has shared his thoughts on the standard of African football and whether clubs from other regions in the continent are closing the gap on North African teams in CAF inter-club competition.

In the past few years, African clubs and countries have shocked the world with their impressive displays in global tournaments, as Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-final of a FIFA World Cup in the 2022 edition.

Meanwhile, South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns caught the eye in the recently concluded revamped 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, standing their own against Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in a seven-goal group stage thriller.

In the wake of the events, Nyirenda, speaking exclusively to Foot Africa, weighed in on the progress made by the African continent at large, pointing out the turning point of the continued football development in Africa.

“The standard of African football has risen so much. It is evident from the way Morocco performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Mamelodi Sundowns’ performance at the just-ended FIFA Club World Cup also tells a big story on how far our game has reached,” he told this publication.

While he is pleased with the improvement made in Africa, the Zambian tactician is not content with the way several federations on the continent run their football, highlighting that as the main hindrance to bridging the gap on North African teams in CAF competitions.

“Very few teams from other regions in our continent are trying to bridge the gap to North African teams because of the lack of professionalism in many of our leagues,” continued Nyirenda, who lifted the Telkom Knockout trophy with Baroka FC in South Africa in 2018.

“Misplaced priorities in the way we run our game in many nations is so worrying. Infrastructure facilities and equipment are not being given the attention it deserves in order to meet the required standards.