No fewer than 800 young footballers from 15 academies are seeking a breakthrough at the ongoing ABT Football Academy Scouting Programme in Kwoi, Kaduna State.

The grassroots scouting programme, which began on Monday, is expected to end on Saturday.

Chairman of ABT Football Academy, Alhamdu Bala, expressed satisfaction with the turnout, describing the programme as a major opportunity for young footballers in Southern Kaduna.

Bala said the academy was committed to creating opportunities for talented youngsters, especially those lacking access to established football development structures.

“This is the first time we are organising such a grassroots scouting programme in Southern Kaduna, and the response has been very encouraging.

“Marcelo’s presence has added tremendous value to this programme. We believe some of these young players can attract opportunities beyond Nigeria.” 

Bala appreciated Argentine International Scout, Marcelo Houseman, for supporting the initiative and travelling to Nigeria to identify emerging football talents.

Houseman, a renowned Argentine football scout, said the scouting exercise had been fruitful, with more than 10 promising talents identified so far.

He said he would discuss the discoveries with National U-17 Coach Manu Garba to ensure the talented players received an opportunity to showcase their abilities at the national level.

Houseman said: “The players we have discovered are very good, and some of them are eligible play for the U-17 and U-20 national teams.

“I will speak with coach Manu Garba about these players because they deserve to be given an opportunity to play for the Golden Eaglets as well as the Flying Eagles,” he said. There are so many undiscovered talents across Africa. The continent is blessed with gifted footballers who only need the right opportunities.”

Houseman said the exercise demonstrated the abundance of football talent in Nigeria and the importance of creating opportunities for young players to be identified.

He said his passion for grassroots football had taken him to several African countries in search of players capable of excelling at the highest level.

According to him, some of Africa’s biggest football stars were identified through similar scouting missions conducted over the years.

“I discovered Odion Ighalo when nobody knew him. I also found Kim Ojo and worked with players such as Obinna Nsofor, Solomon Okoronkwo, and Christian Ebere.”

Also speaking, ABT Academy coach, Alex Bature, said the programme was designed to expose young players to quality assessment while providing opportunities to attract scouts’ attention.

Bature said: “Our objective is to give these players a pathway. We want their talent to be seen, assessed, and developed in the right environment.” 

He expressed confidence that the programme would produce players capable of progressing to professional clubs and national youth teams.

He noted that the scouting programme is continuing, with players undergoing assessment by coaches and scouts from Nigeria and abroad.