Four Malawian teenagers are set to start trials at Italian giants AC Milan’s Lombardia Uno Academy today.
The four; namely, Sean McBrams, 18, Spencer Tsamwa, 18, Ralph Jooma Jnr, 17 and Thembani Phoya, 16, left Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday where they underwent the second phase of their trials and are expected to arrive in Italy this morning.
A statement from World Wide Scholarships (WWS), who facilitated the trials, says the quartet will undergo trials for a week.
In an interview on Sunday, the four youngsters expressed confidence that they will do well in the trials.
Said McBrams: “After the strenuous five-week training we had in Johannesburg, I am set for the final phase.
“The training helped us improve on many areas such as agility and stamina. So, yes, we are ready.”
On his part, Tsamwa said: “I believe I am good to go. It’s a life-time opportunity and I am ready to give my best.”
Jooma and Phoya also said they are set for the trials.
Football Association of Malawi president Walter Nyamilandu said they are hoping that the four trialists will make an impression.
He said: “This is good news. We applaud the organisers for facilitating the trials because this is the future we need to exploit vigorously.
“We need such a gateway for the players. The boys must seize this opportunity to open up a professional career pathway in football.”
The four were identified during trials conducted by AC Milan legend Caludio Belesini in February in Lilongwe.
The fifth trialist Denzel Msungama, 19, is still undergoing training in Johannesburg and is expected to travel to Italy for the final phase of the trials in July, having travelled to South Africa only a fortnight ago.
In its quest to link talented young African athletes with opportunities to showcase their talent on the global stage, WWS recently partnered Lombardia Uno AC Milan Academy.
They have also established partnerships with some of the world’s top clubs and regularly host talent showcase trials.
WWS chief executive officer Munya Maraire is quoted in a statement as saying the partnership with AC Milan will turn dreams into reality.
He said: “There are many steps in an international talent pipeline from Africa, which need to be in place before our talent can regularly feature in the world’s top leagues and soccer clubs.
“From talent identification to coaching and mentoring, we are putting the infrastructure in place to ensure that Africa is fairly represented among the world’s footballing elite.”
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