The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Right to Dreams Academy, Tom Vernon, has emphasized the need for investment in sports development in Africa.
He believes that the next Lionel Messi could be from Africa, but without the necessary investments, these talents might not get the opportunities they deserve.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Tom Vernon argued that it is important to mold talents into positive role models for the next generation to look up to.
“We have 14-year-olds in the Danish academy, for example, who noticed a homeless man at their bus stop and decided to take action to help him get back on his feet,” he said.
“There is a good chance that the next Usain Bolt or Lionel Messi is in Africa and isn’t going to get the opportunities. There’s also a huge supporter base looking for those role models and wanting to get behind them… Africa’s population is increasingly massively, by 2050 there are going to be 2.2 billion Africans – a billion of them will be under 25. We need to provide positive role models for the continent to follow and aspire to,” Tom Vernon added.
Through his Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, Tom Vernon has been able to train and change the lives of many talents from Africa, including Mohammed Kudus, Simon Adingra, and Ernest Nuamah.
