Mend ills plaguing soccer standards

Editor,This is in response to Arthur Asiimwe in his article, ‘We are not a, soccer nation, let’s try another sport, (The New Times of January 24, 2013). What happened to the famous Rwandan trait to never give up? What we need is not to surrender and give up our ambition to also become world-beaters in this global sport. We need to more honestly review what we have been doing wrong and change our strategy and tactics. If need be, let us do away with both senior and youth teams and start a serious soccer development programme, right from primary school. And this should not be left solely to government at national and local levels but it should extend to private sponsorship of provincial and district youth football clubs and tournaments. Successful national teams in West Africa are based on schemes initiated and sustained by wealthy individuals rather than government money.Mwene Kalinda *****************Editor,I disagree with Arthur Assiimwe in his article, ‘We are not a soccer nation, let’s try another sport’ published in The New Times of January 24, 2013. Rwanda could be a great soccer nation. I have seen the passion and fire of young people in Rwanda.It all depends on how you build up a great soccer tradition, and how you listen to outsiders who are coming in trying to train young Rwandans. The problem in the US is not lack of administration, the problem is lack of a soccer history and the idea of doing it their own way. That won’t work. There are great American players kicking over there in England and Germany. It is all about building up a working league system. Rwandans are fast and can learn soccer skills. It is more a question of being patient.Rwanda is still a country that is being reconstructed since the events of 1994. Nothing comes overnight....you will get there...and you have a president who is a soccer enthusiast.Mark, USA

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Mend ills plaguing soccer standards