Kogalo and Ingwe Juniors share spoils

In a first round match of the inaugural KPL under 19 tournament, Gor Mahia juniors were held 1-1 by AFC Leopards Juniors. Senior team regular, Duncan Owiti had put Kogalo ahead in the 57th minute. However Emmanuel Tostao levelled the score for AFC leopards. It was a thrilling match played at a high tempo.

The KPL under 19 tournament is a new initiative by the KPL that is designed to encourage teams to invest in youth development rather than rely on ready made players. It cannot be gainsaid that players who receive proper tutelage at a young age end up becoming high quality players as seniors. As such we hope that Kogalo management will take youth development seriously. The emphasis should not be on winning games. the emphasis should be on instilling young players with proper technique, teaching them how to read games, enforcing fundamentals such as the ability to use both feet, the ability to head accurately, pass accurately,  the art of taking freekicks etc.In watching KPL matches, it is noticeable that KPL players have very poor technique. No wonder scoring is a problem.

Ideally there should be a scholarship system similar to the one at Thika United where players are housed together, go to class together and play together every day. They thus gain a familiarity with each other from a young age and build cohesion which bodes well for when they join the senior team.

And most importantly, age cheating should be discouraged. There is no point winning youth tournaments with old players who when they grow up, do not translate to good senior players because they have become used to playing against much younger players. Does anyone remember Philip Osondu ? He was the Nigerian who shone brilliantly when Naija won the World U-17 cup in 1985 where he was top scorer and best player. He was a hot commodity with European teams lining up for his signature. He signed for Anderlecht in Belgium. Even though he was 25 at the time he was able to pass as a 16 year old because of his small frame. Anderlecht officials put him on a high calorie diet in the hopes that he would grow taller and stronger. However at 25 he could no longer grow taller but only grow sideways. Eventually Anderlecht realized he was not 16. Nigeria may have won the U17 world cup but it never benefited the senior team because none of the players they fielded at the time Materialized into good senior players. Had they given opportunities to real 16 year olds, some of them would have become good senior players. I say all this because some KPL teams may already be falling into the trap of age cheating. It is questionable whether some of the players being fielded here are U-19.