IMEDE reflecte sobre as fases do Desenvolvimento do Desporto Moçambicano

The 4th edition of Café do Desporto took place on the afternoon of this Wednesday, September 3rd, under the motto "50 years of national independence and the path of Mozambican football", with the aim of reflecting on the stages of development of national sport and particularly football, organized by the Instituto Médio do Desporto e Educação Física de Moçambique (IMEDE) in a hotel in the Mozambican capital.

The General Director of IMEDE, Paulo Saveca, spoke about the objectives of holding this event.

"The central objective of this event is to reflect on all the contexts that have existed since national independence to the present day, taking into account the developmental phases of our sport, but football in particular, and to combine this with scientific knowledge and the various experiences of other societies and countries, such as Portugal. This time, we've invited two Portuguese researchers from the University of Coimbra, Faculty of Sports Science, to explore the characteristics of our football and offer suggestions for modern football."

One of the important topics we're also discussing here is the issue of artificial intelligence applied to sports," said Paulo Saveca.

The Director of the Sports Promotion Fund (FPD), Sílvia Langa, praised IMEDE's achievements in holding the IV Sports Café.

 "When we have these opportunities to discuss and discuss our weaknesses, we seek out other experiences, especially from countries that are better served and also from academics in the field of sports. We are providing an opportunity to evaluate where we are, where we came from, where we are going, and where we are at. We are aware that our country faces many challenges in sports management, financing, and other areas. But seeking out these experiences, seeking out national academics who draw on the experience of already proven studies, is an added value in finding specific solutions to apply to our reality," he explained.

 Former Portuguese national team player, football researcher and trainer, João Tomás, discussed the topic of training both players and coaches.

 "I believe that what is necessary for the growth of the country and football has been clearly defined, especially in terms of youth development, because I've heard many people concerned about the level of youth development here in Mozambique, so I believe this reflection will need to be made. Reaching the level of the best teams in the world is a difficult and long road, but naturally, we need to start by leveraging the good things we already have, the talent. The issue that was also frequently mentioned here is that players are born with the gift, and so we need to take advantage of it."

I clearly understood from what was said that there is concern about infrastructure issues, about the government's own guidelines, so that there is more availability for clubs to develop and create new players, new role models," the former Portuguese national team player emphasized.

 Renato Caldeira, the dean of Mozambican sports journalism with a career spanning over 60 years, expressed concern about the sale of sports venues and the parade of equipment from Portuguese clubs such as Benfica, Porto and Sporting. The lack of identity has been noted these days, as "young Mozambicans do not feel proud to wear the jerseys of Ferroviário, Matchedje and other national clubs," he stated.

 One of the country's greatest forwards, Dário Monteiro, who shone with the Mambas colors, stated that "the main challenge we have for the transformation of football is the transition of football, as an art and incorporating science. If we can do this, we will have good results. We must look at football with science, we talk a lot and do little."