Founder of Futbol Connect, a football technology platform connecting talents, opportunity and the football system, Dr Arinze Madueke, has said that his platform has simplified football networking, talent identification, recruitment and professional profile management while reducing barriers that have traditionally limited access to football opportunities.

Arinze, “a passionate football lover,” introduced the platform during the Talent & Club Growth Development Summit 2026 held in Victoria Island, Lagos, on Monday.

He said that he was motivated to begin the project when he realised that “there’s a lot of snags in the discovery of talent and a lot of talents are being wasted in Africa.”

He said: “One of the footballers I revere a lot is Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, who is a talent Nigeria has lost. So, I decided to start Futbol Connect to democratise how talents are discovered and to create a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world. I am particularly passionate about grassroots football in Nigeria.”

He said that Football Connect is trying to use technology to develop football in Africa, starting from Nigeria. “Most of the time people spend a lot of money to bring scouts from Europe, but we are trying to save club owners and Nigerians from such stress. A player on Futbul Connect has his statistics, videos, and artificial intelligence that analyses a player’s strength so that scouts from across the world can see everything about that player.”

Arinze said that the project is not restricted to European football, emphasising: “I am particular about giving our players the best opportunity in the world. These talents don’t have much for them here, so we need to take them abroad to be able to develop them further. They can come back to play for the national team.”

He noted that there are thousands of Victor Osimhens in Ajegunle and more Ademola Lookmans in Olusosun that are not seen today because the searchlight has not been beamed on them. “So, we go to these areas, introduce Futbol Connect to them.

“The presence of Europeans on the platform with hundreds of scouts makes it easier to identify the hidden talents no matter where they are.”
He said that Futbol Connect organised the summit to take more grassroots clubs on board for better visibility, adding,

“It is important that coaches, scouts and clubs get information. This is a win-win for all parties including players and agents. This platform can also be of great help to Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in terms of scouting for players because it will take care of the logistic challenges and security.”