beIN SPORTS is delighted to broadcast a new and uplifting documentary for the region titled ‘Paradou Academy… Barefooted’ this Thursday (May 21) at 9pm Mecca Time (GMT +3) on beIN SPORTS HD 1, which viewers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) can enjoy exclusively on the leading sports channel.
The documentary traces back the history and philosophy of the Paradou Academy, a leading youth football academy based in the outskirts of Algiers that trains kids under 15 years old with a singular training style – teaching them how to play barefoot – in order to perfect their technique, and without a goalkeeper, to perfect their defence.
Since its creation, the academy has successfully launched the careers of many professional players, including the majority of players of Paradou AC, a 1st division Algerian club, many of whom also play for the Algerian national team who won the AFCON 2019 title.
The documentary features interviews with former players of the academy, coaches, and young players who have high aspirations, including 13-year-old Islam Qaydum who said, “I want to become like Cristiano Ronaldo and play in a big team like Real and Barcelona.”
Shafei Karkour, another 13-year-old from the famed academy said, “I hope I can play in Europe. With this, I can make my parents and the Algerian people proud of me.”
Paradou Academy was founded in 2006 by Khairuddin Zatchi, the current president of the Algerian Football Federation, and Jean-Marc Guillou, the founder of Asec Mimosas Academy in Ivory Coast, which saw the likes of Gervinho, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou and others train there, and subsequently contribute to several titles, such as the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
Khairuddin Zatchi, founder of the Paradou Academy, said: “We established the Academy in 2006 when we were relegated from the first division to the second division. We met at the headquarters and agreed that there were only two options. Either we invest more money and buy players so that we can make it to the first division again, or we go in another direction that would take more time and force us to remain in the second division or even in the third division for a period of six or seven years. This meant that we needed to take another path, which was to train players and that’s what I voted in favour of. To be honest, everybody agreed with me because they love sports and they love to witness the potential of the young players.”
The academy has since become a rite of passage for young football players in Algeria who aspire to follow the footsteps of professional players who are currently playing in the world’s top five leagues, such as Nice’s right-back Youssef Atal, and Borussia Monchengladbach’s left-back Ramy Bensebaini.
Subscribers to beIN SPORTS can see inside the Academy this week on beIN SPORTS HD 1 and learn about the interesting training techniques during the documentary.
The barefoot academy revolutionising Algerian football
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