News in Ghana | Potential and quality not age

Potential and quality not age

Posted on: 2008-May-01 Ghanafa.org - Nana Obiri Yeboah

This is certainly the first time a regional competition has been organised by the Confederation of African Football –CAF, solely for home-based players who play in the domestic leagues on the continent.

The debut African Nations Championship – CHAN - is expected to rival other competitions, edge closer to the Africa’s flagship sporting event, the African Nation Cup and prepare the locals for the big platform.

Ghana is one of the many countries attempting to claim a place at the finals of the maiden competition to be hosted by Ivory Coast next year as the qualifiers continue.

And when Ghana entered the qualifiers, team coach, Claude Le Roy was presented with the task of moulding his team from the various leagues tier in the country.

Making it into the extensive array of talent at the Frenchman’s disposal came Taufiq Jebril, who was handed a shock call up into the national team.

Claude Le Roy does have a habit of bringing on young players and he says it’s not about the ages of such players as he talks to the website of the Ghana Football Association about youngster, Taufiq Jebril.

“The age is not a problem. It’s the potential and the quality of the player. He didn’t play a full game. He just played a part of the game and that was just to discover what his international level is,” Le Roy told www.ghanafa.org in an exclusive interview.

The youngster, yet to turn 17, who plays for Accra Hearts of Oak has become part of the local Black Stars even though he is yet to hold down a regular place with the Phobians in his first season with the Accra-based side.

It is not often that such talents break into the senior team without a stint with any of the junior national teams, but Taufiq Jebril showed potential and character while playing for Hearts of Oak that his name has become a regular feature when the list of players for the local Black Stars are announced by the Frenchman.

Gradual build up for Jebril

Le Roy will resist the temptation to throwing Jebril into the starting team; however, despite widespread concerns about the call up of the player into the local senior team considering his age, the Frenchman says he is prepared to ease him (Taufiq Jebril) in gradually.

“We have to be patient with the player but we have to know when it’s possible at a very early stage. When you are a skilful player, there’s no matter about the age.”

The debate about the player’s physical condition for such a demanding terrain might be raised. However, the Black Stars coach says the youngster’s physical state is highly commendable considering his age after the player demonstrated his strength to meet the physical demands of the game in a fitness test he conducted for the entire squad.

“When I took the physical level performance of Jebril, he was very, very good. Even in the COOPER test (an approved fitness test), under a five-minute test, it was good which means his physical level and potential is good.”

Despite the promising news about his physical condition, Le Roy remains concerned that the player and all other youngsters have to be monitored continuously while checks especially about the cardiovascular levels are also scrutinized.

“What we need to be very careful about is his (Taufiq Jebril) cardiovascular level and that’s part of our job, to follow the formation of the player and we are aware of that. The age is not the problem; the problem is the maturity of the player. And we need to follow that.

“The issue is about following his potential and making sure he is brought in steadily,” Le Roy summed up on his observation of the player yet to illuminate in matches and make an impact.

Taufiq Jebril has now become a national property and everyone believes he can reach the very top, but the youngster must remain calm and bide his time.