A former Chelsea boss has praised the Africa Cup of Nations for its quality after coaching at the tournament yet again earlier this year.
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When the Blues first parted ways with Jose Mourinho in 2007, the manager who succeeded him was Avram Grant.
The Israeli tactician managed to lead them to their first UEFA Champions League final in the 2007/08 campaign, ultimately losing out to Manchester United in Moscow, Russia.
Since then, Grant has taken coaching posts across the world and now finds himself heading up the project with the Zambian national team.
The 69-year-old successfully guided Chipolopolo to the AFCON in the Ivory Coast, where they were knocked out at the group stage.
Having coached at two previous AFCON tournaments with Ghana, Grant has claimed that he was left extremely impressed with the quality of pitches at the latest showpiece.
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"The quality of the pitches is crucial," the ex-West Ham United manager told FIFA.com.
"It is like a dancer – you need a good floor. And by the way, I was very impressed at the last AFCON in Cote d'Ivoire. The pitches were fantastic. If we can give players across Africa better pitches, it will help them improve."
Grant did, however, also emphasise more key factors that need improvement, namely the development of technical teams and coaching education on the continent.
"The second one is the development of the backroom staff – the analysis, medical and scouting departments. This will help players maximise their potential. There has been progress, but I think it can be even better," he added.
"The third is education for the coaches, both in the main leagues and the coaches of the youth teams. If these three areas will improve, the sky is the limit in Africa.
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"Education for coaches, alongside advancements in pitch quality and support infrastructure, holds the key to unlocking Africa's footballing potential."
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