Former Nigeria U-20 assistant coach Hassan Abdallah has revealed that he spoke with head coach Aliyu Zubairu in Abuja about the danger posed by South Africa even before the team left Nigeria.
“I met him in Abuja. I told him about South Africa. I said, look, South Africans are the most dangerous people now because they are not too big, they are just smallish, but they are fast and quick. And they now play textbook football,” Abdallah said.
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He highlighted how South Africa uses modern analysis and scouting tools to prepare for opponents.
“So, for instance, now, when they beat these people and South Africa, let me tell you one thing: they have all the gadgets. They have a lot of scouts. If you see their videos, their analysis, all these things, they have them.
They have followed everybody from the beginning to the end. They have known their weak points; they have known their strengths and everything.
They have known where they would start and where they would end. It’s very, very difficult for us.”
Abdallah stressed that Nigeria must also embrace sports science and video analysis to keep pace.
“All that equipment is very, very important. It’s important for us to have all these things, to have somebody, one or two people, who can do this work. Football has gone scientifically now.”
His comments underscore the growing importance of sports science and data in African football, as teams seek every competitive edge.
