“A technical director will take over. Then I will just be father to the club” – how Slovakian club facilitated transfer of 31 Ghanaian players to Europe
PR | The owner of the football club MSK Zilina Africa, Ishmael Lamptey
Football academies across West Africa, thrive without fans, stadiums, or traditional income, focusing solely on developing and selling talent like Muhammed Kudus and Simon Adingra from Right To Dream – now at West Ham and Brighton.
Ishmael Lamptey, owner of MSK Zilina Africa, nurtures young talent from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing opportunities both on and off the pitch.
Why it matters: Despite regulatory challenges and ethical concerns, academies can offer a profitable model locally and in Europe through player transfers and FIFA’s training development rewards.
The perspective: There are various business models among academies in Ghana, and investors are closely monitoring to identify the best returns.
1 August 2024 - 2:11 PM
Accra - Imagine a club with no fans, no proper stadium and no history. There are no TV rights to speak of, nor traditional income streams – other than player trading.
Indeed, that is the one thing that these clubs – known as academies – exist for: as a platform to develop and sell talented players to other clubs, especially beyond their own borders.
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