Roger Kola speaks of humble beginnings

As the Breakthrough Chiparamba Sports Academy boys 18 team settled down from a good meal on their third day at the Gothia Cup, a familiar yet unlikely voice called on the boys to give them the much needed support and advice. Roger Kola made a conference call to the Breakthrough Chiparamba team and spoke passionately about the years he spent building his blossoming career and how he used the Gothia Cup as a platform to experience and adapt a style of play which he internalized and has used todate. "I have gone through what you are experiencing and the only way to succeed is team work." said Kola. His animated speech to the Chiparamba boys via skype showed a genuine connection to a tournament which helped him understand the competitiveness of European football. Kola went on to emphasize the importance of team work and supportive team play. Kola said, " As a team you need to play as a unit and make sure you increase the tempo of the game. Football has changed and teams which are efficient tend to be better than those that play a slow passing game. You need to be aggressive and fight for every ball". The boys received Kola's comments on aggressive play and efficiency with collective approval. They promised to implement his advice in their first game. Kola later went on to speak about his upcoming big games in the UEFA competition with KAA Gents in which he is optimistic of making an impact. After an impressive start at his new club, Kola scored an impressive goal in KAA Gents 1 -0 win against Bayer Leverkusen of Germany. He paid tribute to his former club in Israel which helped him improve his style and tempo of play as the Israeli league is played at a faster tempo than in Zambia. Kola was quick to point out that the Belgian league is aggressive and faster than the Isreali league and he is comfortable playing in his current role as he feels it will raise his game. New African Football