Jorge Couto Joins Barca Academy Nigeria as Technical Director
Jorge Couto, a Portuguese, a widely travelled experienced FC Barcelona camp coach has replaced Bernat Villa as the new technical director for the Barca Academy Group Nigeria, which is also doing excellently very well in terms of living her vision in Nigeria and in the sub – Saharan Africa being the first of its kind
Couto’s appointment was recently confirmed by the global body after a rigorous and thorough screening exercise and trial sessions in Barcelona, Spain, as recommended by the Academy’s World Technical Board.
Couto, like Villa, a very well honed, experienced and seasoned professional, undoubtedly well-schooled in the academics and technical rudiments and the arts and science of the round leather game is acclaimed to be a stickler of discipline, reputable for excellence and professionalism, a great teacher of values and a good role model to emu late. A father figure with humane heart.
During his meeting with the Academy’s Technical Team in Nigeria, he told the media, that he is very humbled and highly honoured to be selected from scores of highly experienced, skillful and talented coaches with far better and excellence performance to succeed Villa who is now in the United State of America. An appointment he strongly believed is solely informed by Villa’s amazing projects seen to light in Nigeria, which the world governing body is now boldly and proudly using as reference and model for all her academies.
Furthermore, he argued that his appointment is a very challenging one and would not betray the trust of his predecessor and that of the promoters of the Academy in Nigeria.
‘The confirmation of my engagement by Blaugrana Group International, promoters of the academy in Nigeria is an honour and working to keep the standard of the former Technical Director is a challenging task and I believe with the support of the technical hands and other staff involved we would strive to maintain the degree o f the successes achieved so far and work harder to do even more…’ he said.
He added that the good works Villa and his team did stood him and the Academy in Nigeria out, and winning a tournament even the Americans nor the Europeans had never won beamed a brighter and stronger limelight on the Academy in Africa and the whole world. And to keep been in the biggest league of the academies worldwide, we must keep our game tick and tight, driven by positive ambition, respect, teamwork, effort in every sense of humility, with excellent( sportsmanship) as our guiding mantra.
‘With committed efforts and impactful ambition, working as a team, with the highest degree of sportsmanship we are bound to conquer new grounds, hoisting our flag high up on the mask of victory and learning, while molding character, teaching acceptable global values that would stand our brought ups out of the crowd of legends, anywhere, any time in the world….. We are here to make a positive difference…’ he emphasised.