Elite UEFA former referee, Damir Skomina has expressed amazement at the number of super-talented footballers he discovered at the Senator Bassey Albert sports complex in Akwa Ibom State. He said this after the just concluded Football talents scouting programme organized by the Senator’s OBA Youth Initiative in collaboration with Leon Academy International in Uyo.

Mr. Skomina, a Slovenian, is remembered for officiating UEFA’s first ever competitive game with the VAR in 2019. In the same game, he cancelled Ajax’s goal against Real Madrid by use of the VAR.

He also refereed one of FC Barcelona’s biggest ever loss as they were beaten by Bayern Munich 8-2.

Contrary to popular belief in the world of footballing scouting that Lagos is where most of Nigeria’s soccer talents can be found, Mr. Skomina was surprised to find super-talented youngsters in the Uyo tournament; players that he agreed could be called, ‘wonderkids’.

When asked how many wonderkids the mini-tournament yielded for his scouting mission, Skomina said; “To my greatest surprise, about 7”, adding that this particular mission “…was a beautiful experience as well as eye-opening…” noting that “Nigeria has hidden talents cut across the country, not just Lagos”.

In an interview he granted at the end of the scouting event in Uyo, Skomina who retired following a knee injury disclosed that, after retiring, he became a club president briefly and is now a licensed football agent working with Road To Excellence Agency.

His first year as a scout also saw his first visit to Nigeria which he came for Leon Academy’s first scouting tournament, held in Lagos in 2021.
Skomina said; “I am now scouting young grassroots exceptional talents to get them to become professionals. I am currently working with Mr. Jonathan Odiri, a former international football professional, also with the Leon Football Academy management, with the hope to help out young talents.”

Adding,
“I chose scouting to expand my touch on humanity. I have come to love anything that betters humanity at a large scale; so scouting allows me to go round the world touching lives”.

According to him, he developed an affection for Senator Bassey Albert’s investment in sports development in Akwa Ibom State and the work of Leon Academy.

In his words; “They have a place in my heart as they serve as a prerequisite for me to achieve the goals of coming. I commend their efforts 100 (percent)”.

Describing the OBA Sports facility, which is within the OBA Digital and ICT complex, as ‘standard’, Skomina spoke of his longing to return to Uyo, saying; “Definitely I will want to come again. I had fisherman soup and also rice; lively”.