German legend Lothar Matthaus tips Africa to win World Cup

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

German football legend Lothar Matthaus has called on Africa football teams to marshal forces and contest the Fifa World Cup title.

Matthaus, a former midfielder for Bayern Munich, is in the country for a legends tour organised by pay TV StarTimes.

He paid glowing tribute to the continent, saying it had made impressive strides in football growth, “and coaches across the continent need to work together for the interest of their nations”.

Matthaus, who led West Germany into winning the 1990 World Cup, said African players in European leagues had exhibited good show and called for unity among them as that could see an African nation win the World Cup title.

Speaking to coaches drawn from three academies at Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) in Nairobi yesterday, the 1991 Fifa Player of the Year shared the tips behind Germany’s success in football.

He said: “By the time we won the Fifa world cup in 1990, we were not that good but we had the spirit of team work in us. We combined our skills without the pride of personal glory in us.

“If African countries want to win the World Cup, they should embrace team work in their matches. I have watched African players in the European leagues and I can say their competences are equal to the best in other continents. The only area Africa fails in is team work.”

He conducted a soccer clinic for coaches and advised young players drawn from MYSA, RYSA and Star Soccer Academy.

Matthaus also met Olympic silver medallist and former world javelin champion Julius Yego and the two great sportsmen shared a podium despite being defined by different scripts in their rise to stardom.

“It is a great feeling to join Lothar. Even though I am a javelin thrower, I love football and more so German football. I had a good time here and our exchanges were fruitful as we had fun as I taught him some javelin tips,” said Yego, who played football while a student at Kapsabet Boys High School.

Kenya hugely endowed with football talents, Yego said, noting that it has a football-friendly environment.

Poor management of the beautiful game has posed a major challenge in Kenya, he said.

As part of the tour in Kenya, Matthaus trained over 60 footballers from MYSA, Riruta Youth Sports Association and Star Soccer Academy.