Chad has agreed a partnership with Spanish football league LALIGA as part of efforts to professionalise and modernise the country’s football system.
The agreement, formalised in Madrid between Chad’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and LALIGA, will focus on developing young players, improving coaching and strengthening the organisation of domestic football.
The partnership is intended to draw on Spanish football expertise to help Chad build stronger structures for identifying and developing talent.
A major element of the cooperation will be the development of young footballers. Chad plans to improve the way promising players are identified and followed through their development, while also increasing the skills of coaches and other professionals working with them.
LALIGA is expected to contribute its experience as Chad works towards establishing a National Academy.
The proposed academy is intended to become an important part of the country’s football development system, providing training for future generations of Chadian players.
The partnership will not be limited to youth development. The organisation of domestic football is also a central part of the agreement, with the restructuring of the Chadian league identified as one of the priorities.
The aim is to gradually improve the environment in which clubs and players operate and create a more effective domestic football structure.
For Chad, developing football at home could ultimately increase the number of players trained within the country who are capable of progressing to the national team.
The agreement was formalised in the presence of Chadian Minister of Youth and Sports Naïr Abakar, who welcomed the involvement of LALIGA and its president, Javier Tebas.
Chadian authorities also expressed their appreciation to Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno and the Prime Minister for supporting the initiative.
The partnership represents an attempt to address several areas of Chadian football at the same time, from the identification of young talent to the development of coaches and the organisation of domestic competitions.
The planned National Academy is expected to be particularly important to the strategy. By providing a dedicated structure for developing young players, the project aims to strengthen the pathway from emerging talent to senior football.
Improving coaching and support services is another key part of the plan. The cooperation with LALIGA is expected to help develop the expertise of those responsible for working with players as they progress.
Domestic football will also require attention if the wider ambitions are to be achieved. The planned work on the Chadian league is intended to provide clubs and players with a stronger framework in which to operate.
The longer-term objective is to produce more footballers who have been developed within Chad and who can eventually contribute to the national side.
However, the agreement is only the beginning of the process.
The effectiveness of the partnership will depend on whether its plans can be translated into practical programmes on the ground. Training initiatives, improvements in coaching and support, and stronger domestic structures will all be necessary if the project is to achieve its ambitions.
The Chadian authorities now face the task of putting the partnership into operation after its formalisation in Madrid.
For LALIGA, the collaboration provides an opportunity to share its expertise in player development and football organisation with Chad.
For Chad, it represents an effort to establish a more structured approach to developing football talent and strengthening the domestic game.
The immediate focus will be on turning the announced objectives into functioning programmes, with the National Academy, talent identification, coaching development and domestic league organisation forming the main areas of cooperation.
The success of the initiative will ultimately be measured not by the agreement itself but by its impact on football in Chad and its ability to develop players, coaches and structures capable of strengthening the country’s game over the longer term.
