Kolo Touré hails younger brother Yaya’s inspirational Champions League journey

Toure Senior, in an exclusive interview with SABC Sport, on the sidelines of the CAF Strategy Conference on Sal Island, in Cape Verde, has spoken about the rise of African coaches, something his brother is leading in Europe. Yaya made history when he became the first African coach to take a team to the UEFA Champions League’s league phase with Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia, a proud achievement according to his elder brother.

"Yeah, that's an incredible achievement, and I am very pleased. It's down to his hard work and discipline. He's been preparing himself very well. He qualified for the Champions League, which is a huge success, and I hope that he has a good tournament. We are so proud of what he is doing as an African, and we hope that more African coaches can follow in his steps," said Toure.

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The good stories don’t just end there for African coaches, with former French international captain and Toure’s teammate at Arsenal Patrick Viera recently having started as the head coach of his country of birth, Senegal. Another good story to tell, according to Toure, is that Viera’s heart has always been with the growth of African football.

The growth of African football is evident to everyone in the game, and the recent 2026 FIFA World Cup, where nine out of 10 teams reached the knockout phase, a first for African football, speaks to this. Toure says African footballers are bringing back into the continent their experiences of having played at the highest level and putting it into good use.

During his time at this conference, Toure met with a number of top coaches and federation presidents, in what also appears to be a networking role, as he aims to play a more supportive role in African football. The 45-year-old was a CAF guest at this conference and is looking to make use of this great opportunity.