Football and its obscure mechanisms in the search for talent
The audience of red velvet armchairs sloping towards the stage is not packed. There will be no more than fifty people in a theatre that can hold at least four times as many.
Mr Richard 'Ndoye takes the stage unconcernedly, makes a wide circle with his arms and illustrates the benefits of what he calls 'third-party ownership', i.e. the purchase by private individuals of shares in potential champions. Operations, he explains, that achieve a triple objective: clubs cash in on their contingent needs; youngsters can stay longer in the places where they were born and grow up with their families; and, thirdly, territories are avoided desertification.
"It's a win-win mechanism that satisfies everyone," he points out in a contortionist speech that ranges between philanthropy and Wall Street, theology and independentism. "Let's not hide it, though, there are a lot of speculators. That is why it is essential to identify the right partners. This is the only way to help young people and Africa. No more handouts. We must leverage the laws of the market, modernisation'.
He then addresses an invitation not to focus on South America, outlining a new gold rush towards the 'talent deposits' of the Dark Continent. 'Africa is grappling with an overbearing development, but one that is a harbinger of inequality,' he concludes with all the emphasis the passage deserves, 'our academies breed footballers, but also provide education and medical care for the neediest youngsters.
Millesi imagines that at any moment he could strip off his fine Dolce & Gabbana suit and transform himself into a Franciscan friar complete with a monk's habit and leather sandals.
