27/06/2020
Paradou AC: The barefoot academy revolutionising Algerian football
Paradou AC, a tiny club in Algiers, had to travel an unconventional road to ensure their continued survival. Now their success is revolutionising the way Algeria thinks about football. ?Seeing academy kids play barefoot, without a goalie, against players two to three years older and completely dominate them with beautiful, technical football ? the way it?s supposed to be played ? it?s hard not to appreciate it,? Walid Ziani, a Canadian-Algerian journalist, enthused to Mail amp; Guardian. An ardent fan of the project, Ziani lives in Ottawa but visits the club four times a year. Paradou was established in 1994 but, after a failed expedition in the country?s top division, largely due to the...
