Irankunda suspension a lesson for all young players

In today’s age of pampered teenage footballers, the menial chores that young apprentices had to do in the ’80s and ’90s are now a relic of a bygone era.

Mopping the change rooms was child’s play compared to the difficult task of cleaning senior pros’ boots in the dressing room.

Removing the thick mud embedded around the studs, coupled with the grass stains on the suede and leather of the boots was a nightmare, made even tougher when it was not to the standard of the senior professional.

It’s common for a young footballer to develop an ego, but these chores were used to keep the next generation down to earth.

The punishment for breaking these tasks could range from even more of them, fines or being exiled from the squad for upcoming matches.

Over the years these chores have become almost non-existent for young players, but they are still around in some form – even in the A-League.

Adelaide United’s consistency in the A-League has always been down to its excellent family-like culture and work ethic.

Fans have noticed that live wire Nestory Irankunda has hardly featured this season.

With Bernado missing due to a long-term injury and Irankunda fully fit, it was expected that there would be greater minutes on the field, after breaking through last season as a 15-year-old.

The answer for the teenage tyro’s absence has been leaked to the press and it’s extremely disappointing – especially given how simple these things are to control as a player.

Nestory Irankunda (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Depending on your point of view, revealing information about a 16-year-old who is still developing maturity could be detrimental long term, however Adelaide United must be applauded for their transparency with the matter and the high standards they set for teenage players.

Irankunda missed the glamour match against bitter rivals Melbourne Victory, suspended for breaking team protocols.

The 16-year-old has been read the riot act and warned after turning up late to several team meetings, as well as not doing the ‘chores’ associated to being one of the club’s younger players.

These chores are not as hard as those done by teenagers in the ’80’s and ’90s or in Europe, however young players at Adelaide United always pack up the equipment after training.

This means collecting all balls, bibs, shirts, training dummies, goal posts, corner flags, as well as laying out the team’s kit for home and away matches.

To have one of Australia’s brightest prospects break the rules is incredibly disheartening, but it is a lesson to any young footballer in terms of how much dedication is needed to make it professionally.

This is not out of the norm behaviour though, as over the years lots of teenage Australian footballers have had disciplinary problems.

Cristian Volpato is a name that is on many fans’ minds at the moment for his national allegiance, but he is a recent example of an incredibly talented teenager who was let go by an A-League side for attitude and discipline.

Irakunda’s talent cannot be questioned. Following on from his debut season he has scored eight goals in three matches for Australia’s under-17s side in 2022.

He has a very supportive family and is a much-loved member of the United squad, who see him like a little brother.

The teenager has also had to deal with losing three role models and friends he was extremely close to in the dressing room: Yaya Dukuly and Mohamed Toure left for France, while Kusini Yengi is now at the Wanderers.

A suspension will be a setback for the player, who must use it as an inspiration to get back into the good graces of the coaching staff and his teammates.

It’s difficult at the best of times trying to become a professional footballer whilst having to do your school work, make time for friends, family, your body growing and dealing with the perils of social media.

To make it as a professional player, teenagers need to sacrifice and be disciplined in their craft – just as much as they need to be punctual and do menial team-related chores, like cleaning up after training.