Aspire Academy and FIFA kick off 8th Global Summit
Published: 04 Oct 2022 - 08:59 am | Last Updated: 04 Oct 2022 - 09:09 am
Aspire Academy Director General Ivan Bravo presents a memento to Arsene Wenger.
Doha: A top FIFA official yesterday said that the performance of a player in the field of football is linked to the quality education he is receiving.
During his masterclass on the opening day of the 8th Global Summit conducted by the Aspire Academy, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger revealed the results of a study carried out by the football governing body in which they analysed performances of 205 countries.
“There is a direct correlation between the education and training of youngsters and success of senior national teams. For example, the 20 best FIFA ranked nations has the best education system – identification of talent, development of training programme, quality of coaches, integration in the first team,” Frenchman Wenger who is regarded as one of the most successful football managers, revealed at the Aspire Academy’s Football Performance Center, yesterday.
The 8th Aspire Global Summit brings together high profile guests who will share their knowledge and experience.
Wenger, who has been a coach for 40 years, explained FIFA developed three different levels. One of them is to develop talent in every country to form and create a team programme with FIFA’s own coaching and create excellent centres from 12 years onwards, to develop an analysis of the competitions to see what’s going on during the matches – what are the trends in modern football, to explain better why team loses/wins, players perform well or not and create an online training centre for free.
Wenger also stressed that football continues to progress and always in motion.
“Football is always evolving and is on permanent movement – the evolution of football is a bit like that, the strikers create a form of defenders, the defenders respond and the strikers find a new problem for the defenders, and they respond again. This evolution we wanted to analyse.”
Wenger has also touched on several topics, including enhanced football intelligence, usage of science in making better decisions, the importance of analysing data to improve the game, and the FIFA Football Language.
The former Arsenal manager also lauded Aspire Academy’s education and training facilities. “I have visited Aspire Academy several times and I have always been impressed by the quality of the facilities and training here as well as the rationale behind it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aspire Academy Director General Ivan Bravo stressed the importance of youth development in football saying it is one of the key building blocks towards the pinnacle of the sport - the World Cup.
“We are proud that this is the home of all of Qatar’s national teams and an example of where youth development and the highest levels of football work together to ensure continuity,” Bravo said in his welcoming speech.
The eighth edition of the annual summit, conduced in collaboration with FIFA, is also bringing together high profile guests including English football legend David Beckham, former Argentina and Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, panellists including analysts from Croatian, Danish, Swiss, Royal Belgian Football Associations, FC Barcelona, and Aspire Academy Senior Football Physiologist who will share their knowledge, experience and research in football performance and science through discussions and round table talks.
The event is a special edition with representatives from all 32 teams qualified for the World Cup, joined by over 50 members of the Aspire in the World Fellows, which includes some of the biggest clubs in global football, several national football associations as well as leagues.
