Mamelodi Sundowns international scout Thembela "Tera" Maliwa is well-versed in who the budding prospects in Africa are, constantly scouring the continent for new prodigious talents. With a stint working in the Netherlands forming part of his journey, the travelled scout has revealed the differences between young players there and those in South Africa.
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When Maliwa left the now-defunct Ajax Cape Town in 2015, he embarked on a trip to the hub of European football youth development, the land of the Dutch. He went there to broaden his knowledge about the nuances of scouting, and spent time with likes of Heerenveen – where he worked alongside then sporting director Hans Vonk and ex-Ajax Cape Town head coach Foppe de Haan – Ajax Amsterdam and AZ Alkmaar. It was during this time he claims he learned the dos and don'ts of scouting with the very best scouts in world football.
When quizzed about what the main differences between the development of young players in the Netherlands and South Africa are, he stated that in our country we begin serious training with them too late.
"I think in South Africa, or in Africa as a whole, we start developing players at a very late stage," Maliwa admitted to Soccer Laduma.
"Maybe also in the way we develop our players as well, because in Europe they develop from sevens year old. I don't think we have the time for seven-year-olds in South Africa, or maybe the coaches in the country to do such.
"Also, the difference is that coaches in Europe are extremely qualified. You can find a coach that has a UEFA Pro License, but he is coaching U13. You don't get that in South Africa. Here, an U13 coach maybe isn't even qualified, or is just a parent helping out.
"In Europe there is no such. Youth coaches in Europe are so qualified and that is why I think our development starts so late. Because coaching is about teaching. If you're going to teach the player wrong things, they are going to grow with those wrong things.
"In Europe the players have hours of training until they turn 18 years old. If they get a player at seven years old and they want to develop that player, they give him 121 hours (a week) of training. If you manage to do 120 at least until you're 17, then you will make it in professional football. But missing those hours could be detrimental. In South Africa, I'd say instead of 120, we do 50 hours."
The Cape Town-born talent spotter also revealed the biggest lesson he learned as a scout during his time working with the Eredivisie sides and their scouting departments.
"You know when you're with your friends somewhere and you're watching a game, and the player that you like personally, nobody else likes," he added.
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"What I learned is that you should never let anybody else ever colour your own eye. Whatever you thought that you saw, and whoever you think may be the best player on the day, that person is the best player. Forget what anybody else is telling you.
"Because, remember, when you're watching and you're scouting, when somebody tells you they don't like a player, you tend to think you are wrong. But you are not, you are right, somebody might be leading you the other way."
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