Tardy is the right man for the job

When Rwanda takes to the pitch in Mexico at the FIFA U-17 World Cup later this year, they will be one of the great unknowns at the event. The Junior Wasps will undoubtedly be hoping for big things, and their coach Richard Tardy knows that managing expectations will be vital to their cause. Earlier this year, the Frenchman used his considerable experience to guide the side to the final of the African U-17 Championships, where his team became the first-ever Rwandan team to qualify for a global competition. With great support from home, Tardy is aware of his back-up. He has already noticed how when his team was competing in the under-17 African competition earlier this year, people sat up and took notice. And when the team qualified for the semi-finals, the whole country supported the team. Everybody was talking about the team. And now going to Mexico and playing there will be a very big event, not only in terms of football but for the whole country in general. When the Frenchman arrives in Mexico for the tournament, which will be held in seven cities between 18 June and 10 July, he and his team will have completed a preparation most other coaches would be envious of. The team arrived in France two weeks back; they will have friendly matches with U-19 professional sides in France and the France U-17 national team. Then they will go to the USA for a three-week camp before they arrive early in Mexico to learn the lay of the land. But while some coaches will have much less time to train with their teams, the Marseille-born coach needs the time to prepare. Tardy has already been working with mainly locally-based players, who are to be joined by a few French-based youngsters for training in Europe. Tardy and his employers took decision to start preparations for Mexico early enough. The French tactician believes three months preparation is the minimum and probably would have had more time training with his youngsters. For some people three months might seem a long time, but virtually many of junior wasps players lack regular playing time. The Under-17 league that was recently started in Rwanda is not yet functioning fully, and Tardy has a small number of players playing outside the country. Surprisingly, traditional African powerhouses Ghana and Nigeria, who have reached the FIFA U-17 World Cup six times each, will not be one of the four African representatives. The Junior Wasps are joined by African champions Burkina Faso, Congo and Côte d’Ivoire. Though you cannot predict how well the team will perform in Mexico, the youngsters left in upbeat mood. The well-travelled Tardy spent 17 years working for the French Football Federation. He was then compatriot Henri Michel’s assistant with the Moroccan national side and also the national team of the United Arab Emirates. Tardy has also coached club teams in Morocco, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Côte d’Ivoire and Greece. The junior wasp’s advancement should be credited to the football academies in Rwanda. Through the FIFA Goal Project, the FERWAFA academy was built and many of the players in the squad come from that academy. Early last month, Tardy signed a new two-year deal with the Rwanda Football Federation that will see him stay until March 2013. Every body is eagerly waiting for the beginning of the under-17 success at the world stage that would advance under-20 level before becoming the Rwanda Olympic team in future. josephmunich06@yahoo.co.uk