Abedi Ayew ' Maestro' Pele, one of the greatest African Players of all-time was in Uganda last week on a four- day promotional tour for next year's MTN Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of Stanbic Bank. Meastro took time off his heavy schedule to speak to Daily Monitor's FREDRICK MUSISI KIYINGI at Sheraton Kampala Hotel. Read on;

Question: Compare the standards of football when you played and now?
Answer: Well standards have really gone up, and there is a lot of sponsorship due to the higher level of organisation. During Phillip Omondi's time and ours there wasn't much money in football, which was quite sad as players like Omondi did not enjoy their talent like today.

I was in Ghana last month for the 2008 MTN Africa Cup of Nations draws. Legend Abdul 'Golden Boy' Razak told me that Black Stars were able to win the cup in 1978 because all the players were locally based and had time to prepare for the tournament unlike now when the bulk of players ply their trade overseas. What is your view of Razak's theory?
First of all, Abdul Razak is my senior and I have to respect his views as well as other seniors but I want him to understand that things have changed from their time, to our time and to Drogba, Eto'o and Essien era. Now most teams have their players earning their living outside.
In those days, Razak was the only player outside Ghana playing for New York Cosmos in US. But it changed in the following years when me, Roger Milla and George Weah opened the door for African players to join professional ranks. So, today there is professionalism and the improvement of welfare of our players.
So things have changed, as the locals are only backup players nowadays.

Do you have any interest in getting into CAF and running African football? If so, what would you change?
In the past I was always critical of the CAF President Mr Issa Hayatou but as time went on, I realised it is a very difficult job to manage football in Africa. In Africa we have many problems like wars, poverty and diseases, yet our governments spend much money on them and pump less into sports.
So I think CAF is trying its level best to lift the standards of the game on the continent. A few years ago, there was no African Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup with prize money. Of course the Africa Cup of Nations has also got sponsorship from companies like MTN, Stanbic Bank, Western Union and Pepsi.

Having seen Drogba, Okocha, Kanu and Essien making headlines in the English Premiership, do you have any regrets for not having played there?
Definitely not. During my time, the English Premiership wasn't among the strongest around. The Italian (Serie A) was the best around. Players like Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten and Maradona were all playing in the Italian Serie A. Torino, which was my club was also a big club.
I am grateful to God because he gave me strength and power to play at the highest level. But of course things have changed now, as the Premiership is the most influential league in Europe because it is where the money is. But I habour no regrets and wish them all the best.

Compare the careers of Africa's superstars of today with yours?
As I said earlier, we have played in different eras. In the late 70s and early 80s there were not many Africans going to Europe. Then our era with Milla and Weah we opened the door but not big money. Now the Drogbas are earning big salaries. So I can say the past players opened the gates for the present generation. But it is good for them, as the game is so demanding these days. But I am happy that I managed to invest my money well.

There have been some good players in Uganda who were good enough to play in Europe but lacked marketability. What do you have to say about that?
It is sad for Uganda and the Cecafa region as a whole that there is talent but not many have gone to Europe for professional football. Since I arrived two days ago, I have been mentioning Phillip Omondi (RIP). I believe he would have made it big in Europe. It is very unfortunate that Uganda Cranes will not be in Ghana next year but they showed potential in the qualifiers. You have seen the kids (KKL) this afternoon that there is potential in the country. Who knows, Uganda might be in Angola 2010.

West Africa is blessed with soccer Academies. How have you managed to set them up?
Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have managed to go into partnership with European clubs who have invested heavily. It is the only way to promote the game. They have resources, we have the talent and we move on.

Your take on next year's Nations Cup in Ghana...
I know all is set for Africa's premier football showpiece. We have four good stadiums and I think all the 16 teams have an equal chance of success but I hope the [Ghana] Black Stars win it. We have raised the bar and now Angola 2010 hosts have to beat us.

What has been your impression of Uganda on your visit.
When we met you at Entebbe Airport, I told the press that during my playing days I never had a chance of visiting Uganda. The people are very friendly, very helpful; the press is much organised and critical where necessary.
I visited FM radio stations but I was very impressed with KFM and your (Daily Monitor) newsroom set up. I met the Sports Minster Charles Bakkabulindi and we discussed many issues and I hope to come back here next year to see how I can help in the development of the game. I think I can do something for Uganda football.

What about the role Stanbic has played in your promotional tour and your next destination?
I would like to thank Stanbic Bank for making my tour happen. Stanbic is now joining the football family. They have put Sh5 billion (euros2.1m) in CAN 2008 . When you talk of Fifa the names of Coca-Cola and Adidas come up. For years they have been associated with the beautiful game.

I would like Stanbic to join the two companies and I hope this is the beginning. From here I am going back to Ghana for two days (Ed. Abedi Pele left Uganda last Sunday), then fly to Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria and North Africa. So you can see Stanbic will be spending a lot.