There is also a bit of Italy alla U17 Africa Cupruns from April 29th Algeria. It’s actually Brianza Fabrizio cesanathe coach who has been in charge of the U17 selection for several years Republic of the Congo, who picked up a point in the first two games of the group stage and is still fighting for a place in the quarter-finals: The game against the hosts on Friday, May 5 will be decisive. It would be a miracle, because last January Cesana then qualified the Diavoli Rossi for the Africa Cup of Nations in their category ten year absencepassed Central African Republic and finished just behind Cameroon in the UNIFFAC tournament, an elimination barrage reserved for Central African selections. Ilfattoquotidiano.it Cesana interviewed before the start of the tournament: “We played the crucial games in Limbe, Cameroon. Some teams were disqualified for age cheating, but we found ourselves prepared for the appointment,” he says. “After losing to Cameroon but playing well, we beat Central African Republic by a fairly narrow margin. The Congo Brazzaville national team had not reached the finals of the Africa U17 Cup for ten years.”
Then the draw gave him a rather complicated group: after the draw with the Somalia, defeat to Senegal, a veritable superpower in African football, came fresh from continental triumphs at both senior and U20 levels. Nevertheless, Cesana has set the bar very high: “We want to get there primary four and thus qualify for the next U17 World Cup, which will be held in October Peru“. In Brazzaville, where he arrived 2013 after an interim coaching career D series And Lombard excellenceis at home now. “I am almost 10 years I live in the Republic of the Congo. It all started in 2014 when I got a call from Paul Berretiniwho was in charge sectors youthful in the Congo,” the coach originally recalled November. “He asked me to come to Africa to help him and I decided to agree to do one too new experience of life. At that time I had just finished course a Coverciano to get the license Uefa Advantagesconcluded with a thesis on the structure of the best European youth sectors”.
Two years later, after founding a Education Centre in Brazzaville by the Congo Ministry of Sports coordinator technicianInstructor of the Training Center e voters of the Congolese U17 national team. “The establishment of the training center, designed for the growth and development of Congolese football, was the positive twist for local football,” explains Cesana. “It must indeed be remembered that the club sides do not have real players here sectors youthful. Lo takes care of talent training Condition with its structures, such as the training center of Brazzaville. Here the boys from 13 yearstrain, improve and grow”.
The idea behind it is to promote and develop local talent. The youth level results may not be there north star to direct the work of a technician. Cesana has very clear ideas about this: “I see too many coaches working in the youth field growth by themselves and not the players. Of course, the results are also important, I won’t deny that, but they are extension even more from the players,” explains the coach from Brianza. “There are differences with Italy, but not many. Not so much in the methodology as in the Habitsin relation to the timetables of training sessions. Through temperatures elevatedat unsustainable humidity peaks we have to train in the morning hours“. The victim attitude of the players is also different than in European football: “The players here make gods Victim Playing football they are easy unthinkable in Europe,” says Cesana, her voice leaking a barely concealed tone point of pride. “At the training center we have children who practice syrup every day 8 kilometers on footI come under the scorching sun and train. Without forgetting that they must do the same when they return home learn reconciling sport with school”.
Participation in the U17 Africa Cup of Nations is fair price for the many sacrifices made over the years. In fact, it was quite a long road leading to qualification, which started at Quarenghi muga tournament reserved for U14 organized at San Pellegrino Terme (BG), in which the Republic of the Congo national team took part in 2019. The Cesana boys, including the striker Joseph Ndzoukou (among the most popular names in terms of the U17 Africa Cup) they did well and won the final for fifth/sixth place with the Turin after drawing with the Salzburgnarrowly lost to Milan and narrowly beatenalbino lephe.
Now the goal is “e Value the qualities of our boys,” assures the former coach of Seregno and Caratese, among others. To be successful, to integrate the team, they have arrived 9 binational playerspersonally recruited by Cesana during his European explorations as an observer. A policy that has now been adopted by many African associations. “Our hope is that this group of players will mainly be recruited from the small series Frenchcan raise the level of the national team, in particular a even physicist“. In any case, Fabrizio Cesana will remain in Brazzaville, even if he would like to return to Italy one day. “Of course I want to do that in the future go back home. But it will depend on many things. I feel very comfortable in the Republic of the Congo. I’m in Brazzaville, a very European city where I live 10 months a year Happy and I’m not missing anything”.