The chance to win a professional contract overseas is the dream of many footballers in South Africa, and for one hopeful that will become a reality as they put pen to paper as the historic first-ever signing for the new United Arab Emirates side Al Qabila FC.
An exciting campaign to find the best-undiscovered talent in the world is underway and the next stop will be Durban, where scouts from not only Al Qabila but also some top clubs from Europe, South America and the Middle East will run their eye over local South African talent from 12TH Feb /23rd February 2024.
The trials are open to all footballers in South Africa aged 17-21, with pre-selection sessions to be staged at Durban’s Hoy Park Sports Grounds and Ulundi Stadium from February 4. Selected players will then move forward to the main trials in front of top scouts from around the world.
The leading player identified will win a life-changing two-year contract with Al Qabila as they begin life in the UAE Pro League in the 2024/25 season, while five more footballers will be invited for all-expenses-paid further trials with the club at their Dubai base.
Al Qabila’s South African trials are staged in partnership with the KZN Football Academy, which has produced several leading players in the recent past, not least midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who is a current star performer with Bafana Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
Scouts from Juventus (Italy), Benfica (Portugal), Cadiz (Spain), Atletico Mineiro (Brazil), Panathinaikos (Greece) and Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), as well as potentially several more leading global clubs, will be on hand to also cast their eye over the talent.
“This is an incredible opportunity for a South African player to realise their dream of playing abroad,” KZN Football Academy Managing Director Carlos Catalino said. “We are delighted to partner with Al Qabila as they search for the best young players in the world, and I have no doubt they will uncover some exciting talent in South Africa.
“As the KZN Football Academy, we have successfully placed many players at clubs overseas and this is a great chance to add at least one more. The fact that we have scouts from some of the world’s top clubs in Durban presents an even greater opportunity for our trialists.”
The South African Football Association will also send scouts to look for talent for the junior national teams, providing even more opportunity for those who put their skills on display.
Al Qabila, which means ‘The Tribe’, has already had trials in the United States and Germany, but the player selected from South Africa will be the first to sign a contract with the team, a history-making moment.
They are running their global search in conjunction with Grintafy, a social platform engine to help amateur players realise their dreams of a professional career by allowing them to showcase their talents directly to scouts from around the world.
“We are excited to be coming to South Africa in our search for the best-untapped football talent in the world,” said Soheil Var – owner at Al Qabila. “We are looking for the next Benni McCarthy, Steven Pienaar and Lucas Radebe in a country with a proud football tradition and was such an amazing host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“As Al Qabila we believe we can build a great team from the diverse nations of the world and are excited to give our first ever professional contract to a South African player. This is truly a chance to change the life of a top talent who has not yet had the chance to showcase their quality.
“We thank the KZN Football Academy for assisting with this South African leg of our search and our partners Grintafy for helping to make this dream possible.”
Following the assessments in Durban, 22 players will be selected for a final chance to catch the eye of the watching scouts when a showcase match is staged on February 24.
Benfica scout Bruno Vilas has the following to say: “I have been travelling all over the world looking for talents that might be of interest to my club. I see this opportunity as being unique for me, as South Africa is a country passionate about football and full of natural talent. I’m sure that Durban’s young talents just need an opportunity to prove themselves to scouts, like me, who will be
present. In the not-too-distant past, names like Thabo Cele and Yaya Sithole demonstrated that serious work done in South Africa can bring talent to shine at the highest level. I would also like to thank KZN Academy for the invitation to be present at this event.
I’m sure it will be a success. SEE YOU SOON DURBAN!”
There are two simple ways that players aged 17-21 can register for the trials.
The first is through the Grintafy App, where they can create a profile, put in their relevant details, and then look out for the Al Qabila logo for further details on how to register.
Players can also register directly with the KZN Football Academy via their WhatsApp number 082 524 8241.
There will also be several competitions run during the campaign, with two fans having the chance to travel to Dubai to watch the first ever game of Al Qabila, and cheer on their South African star in the making.
