The Interview: Just Football meets Marcel Desailly

Ahead of an historic meeting between England and Ghana, World Cup and back-to-back Champions League winner Marcel Desailly speaks to Just Football about the state of African football, important lessons learned from his application for the Ghana job, the indiscipline of youth, why the few African players playing at Europe’s highest level is not enough for him and much more. And after his World Cup punditry just who does he support – France or Ghana?

JF: Marcel Desailly it’s a pleasure and thankyou for speaking to Just Football.

Marcel Desailly: I’m ready for you – go ahead!

JF: I want to begin by asking about your role as an ambassador of the Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken. How did it come about and how are you involved?

MD: Being part of the family of football is great. To support Heineken on their initiative, bringing the cup and making it accessible to the people, the supporters. To the people who dream about it but see it only on TV, who feel that it’s very far from them. Now suddenly the cup is at their side – they can hold it, they can take a picture, they can dream that they’re soccer players.

And also it’s about promotion of football in Asia. Because football is maybe not the number one sport in Asia. The initiative is great for that: for the fans, for the promotion of football and as a brand they are bringing something extra – apart from the money, that is everywhere. For sure they are getting exposure in return, but aside they also contribute to grassroots, charities and for that reason it’s great.

JF: As an iconic figure of the Champions League did that play a part in your role as ambassador? And taking the trophy to Asia how do you see that having you yourself played in Qatar?

MD: Yes, but no that didn’t really play a part. I mean it was Heineken’s decision – obviously the market is in Asia for them. Africa could have been something very good but football is already there. Football has already captured the continent. They’ve been to South America I think, but football is there also. Asia is a new market getting involved with football and the craziness of football.

JF: So looking at the life of Marcel Desailly, who were your own sporting idols growing up?

MD: Maradona! Diego Armando Maradona! Who else? Bernd Schuster. You don’t know this player…

JF: Yes – the German international.

MD: Yes!

JF: Used to manage Real Madrid…

MD: Yes…but Diego Armando Maradona. In ’86 when he won the World Cup. I was already grown up. I was already 18 years old. But that target was already set, seeing him lifting the World Cup. I used to dress like him, with the Sergio Tacchini tracksuit!

JF: Did you follow a team in Ghana?

MD: My team? Asante Kotoko. You mean did I support a team?

JF: Yes..

MD: Asante Kotoko. (laughs) You’ve heard of Asante Kotoko?

JF: Yes. I had you down as maybe a Hearts of Oak man but… (laughs)

MD: Hearts of Oak no…when I was young and in Ghana in my mind was always ‘Asante Kotoko, Asante Kotoko!’ So I followed them.

JF: You were part of a punditry team in England during the 2010 World Cup, and a very prominent supporter of Ghana. As someone with dual nationality – you won the World Cup with France – do you feel more Ghanaian or French?

MD: No it’s clear, I’m a French man with origins in Ghana. I’m living in Ghana now to live the African experience a little bit. I was supporting an African team because the World Cup was also in Africa and Ghana obviously is my country of origin. And you have to understand that no African team has ever reached a semi final. 80 years of the World Cup – 80 years! A continent of one billion people. And we haven’t been able to get that far.

It’s also to show the problem. How come Africa – yes it’s many different countries – but how come it has not managed to get so far in World Cup competitions? It’s sad. At the same time there was great pleasure, enthusiasm, hope. But when you look deep down, you see that there’s a lot of work needed in infrastructure in Africa. We need to keep the players in their countries, sponsors have to come and help to create facilities. There’s huge work to be done.

JF: So if the World Cup quarter final had been Ghana vs France, who would you have been cheering?

MD: Oh that’s hard! The World Cup final?

JF: Final, quarter final – either one.

MD: I don’t know.

JF: You couldn’t decide?

MD: I don’t know. I will go for the smaller. The underdog.

JF: So Ghana?

MD: Ghana yes. I will go for the smaller one, yes. Because, I told you, it’s about sharing. I was happy that Tottenham won in the Champions League. I’m an AC Milan fan but I was happy that Tottenham won because it’s fresh, it’s a new team. Same thing for Ghana. They have not achieved anything. France won the European Championships, the World Cup. You need to share.

JF: What are your thoughts on the success of African players in recent years? There are now an increasing number of African players really making their mark at the top clubs in Europe. Samuel Eto’o at Inter for example, Didier Drogba, Adebayor…

[Desailly shakes his head furiously at this point with a bemused smile]

JF: You don’t agree?!

MD: It’s not enough! It’s not enough! I mean, I told you we’re talking about a huge continent. How many key players? Five? We’re talking about five – Essien, Drogba, Adebayor, Eto’o…give me another one…

JF: Yaya Toure…

MD: Yes Yaya Toure.

[someone in the room interjects with Steven Pienaar]

The South African? Hmm…just arrived, he just arrived. Five and a half. (laughs) I’m not sure he’s going to play as a first choice the whole time. But top – let’s say six including Pienaar – or seven if we say we forgot one or eight if we forgot another…it’s not enough. It’s not enough! It is not enough.

Africa should be offering much more to the football world when we see the talent, how kids are able to develop their skills in the streets and how they love the game in Africa…it’s not enough. It means that somewhere there is a problem. The culture maybe…I don’t know.

JF: So do you think that’s to do with the structure of African football or do you think that’s just through lack of opportunities? What are your theories on that?

MD: Yes the structure, we need CAF (the Confederation of African Football) to work a bit more on the organisation of football in various countries. And… [pauses with a gleam in his eye] …let’s go to something else before I become bad!

I’m not happy about how slow the development of African football is. We’ve been thinking that South Africa – a World Cup in Africa – is the time. It’s not the time. It’s Brazil, it’s maybe even Qatar before you can think about an African team winning the World Cup.

JF: But I mean – obviously without naming names – do you think that development is being held back because of governing bodies, or?

MD: The local leagues are not at the right level. And we don’t keep the players. As soon as you have a good player – not even top players for the top of Europe – then he goes to countries, I don’t want to say their names but Eastern countries, where you lose him. Instead of keeping him in his country or in his league and attracting sponsors to build up the league. Before that he will feed the national team and then potentially come to Europe.

You see in Brazil, no matter which player you take from the Brazilian league, if you put him in the national team he will play well. Because the league is at a certain level. That allows them to have top class players in numbers. In numbers. But in Africa, no. As soon as he rises up in the game a little bit whoosh! He disappears.

JF: I mean, I think a good example of that maybe would be Dominic Adiyiah of Milan. Do you know him?

MD: Yes, the young boy.

JF: Because Ghana won the Under-20 World Cup in 2009 but then, some argue, the development of some of their players hasn’t really lived up to that achievement. Adiyiah went to Milan and hardly played. Is that the kind of thing you mean?

MD: Yes. And the way the kids grow up also, it’s a bit of a problem. Things come very quickly to them. The way they grow up in football, the discipline. They are not disciplined. As soon as they achieve something they give up. They give up on their work – the extra work – tactics, they are not focussed, they think that they are the man. And you lose them, you see? Yes, they get to a certain level, with huge potential. But suddenly whoosh! You lose them.

This is because they don’t work anymore. To be able to be a champion in the long term involves huge commitment. Diet, sleeping, physical work, extra work, stretching, drinking – drinking water I mean – it’s a package, you see? And we don’t educate the young at the level needed to bring them to the top class.

JF: In Africa or just generally in football?

MD: Africa. Africa.

JF: Because you were reportedly close to getting the Ghana national team job recently. Is that something you can perhaps elaborate on or…?

MD: [deep breath]

[A publicist interjects: ‘If you’re not happy Marcel you don’t have to…’]

MD: No, no. Being very close to the Ghana job has allowed me to understand what’s going on. To understand what’s going on and where are the problems. We’ve been talking about it here. But Ghana has a huge potential. I mean the players. If we were able to keep all the players that are going to Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden etc when they’re at seventeen or eighteen years old then wow…

JF: Lastly, moving on to your own career – an incredible career including back-to-back Champions League medals. What was it like playing in such great teams? You are a Marseille supporter for example – what was it like playing in that great side?

MD: I was at Nantes as a youngster, but I was a Marseille supporter. And for me, in my career, the pinnacle level I could reach was going to Marseille. And it was a great moment – first Champions League for the country, for the club, for the fans.

You know Marseille is a special place. It’s a special place; it’s a crazy place for football. It was really something special. At that time I was young, about 23, and suddenly bang! The opportunity to go the famous AC Milan. Wow! I was not expecting that.

JF: Winning two Champions League winners medals in a row.. that must have been a bit special!

MD: Something very special the Champions League, really, because most of the big European clubs are involved, the games are all on TV, the music, the knockout stages. It’s something very particular.

JF: And scoring in a Champions League final?

MD: Ah yes! Yes, yes. As a player wow! Very important. Marseille was the first one, you know. And you never forget the first time. But there I was one of a collective. When I moved to Milan suddenly, because of my performance [in the final, a 4-0 win against FC Barcelona] I was probably the man! Scoring a goal, alongside Savicevic, Massaro, suddenly brought me to the attention of the football world. Because of the Champions League profile I suddenly became one of the top midfielders in the world at that particular moment. It was great! It was great. It’s finished now, but it was great.

African Football, Champions League, France, Ghana, Interviews, Marcel Desailly, Olympique Marseille