Centers of excellence the way to go for Kenyan football, says Okwemba

Former Harambee Stars midfielder Charles Okwemba has rallied the government to emulate Spain by adopting centers of excellence to identify and promote football prospects.

Spain were crowned Euro 2024 Champions after outclassing England in a 2-1 in the final last Sunday, with youngsters Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal being the talk of the tournament played in Germany.

“Spain is identifying their talents early enough and putting them in the centers of excellence to nurture them into formidable and complete footballers.

“It’s a country full of talent because they are all round in terms of tapping and nurturing of these talents using these centers.

“These Centers Of Excellence is the reason we are seeing youngsters like Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams playing for the senior team in Euro 2024”, said Okwemba.” He asserted.

Okwemba has challenged FKF to prioritize putting in place youth structures to realize a better future for the nation’s football.

“We should be informed that the Spanish national team is full of experienced players who have the ability to give these young players the confidence and ability to do what they want.

“Kenya should learn to heavily rely on the youth structures that will be able to help us realize super talents in our youths”, added the soft-spoken Okwemba.” He added.

The former AFC Leopards player has, however, advocated for a meticulous and gradual introduction of youngsters into the national team set up.

“When you see young good players coming through, don’t start wishing that Kenya should also do the same. It is a process which if not practiced then we will find it difficult to identify young talents who are able to feature for the national team,” he concluded.