"The Main Obstacle of Scouting is the Lack of Knowledge of the Leaders About the Activity”

Camilo Francka, current scout for A.S. Monaco in Ligue 1, with experience in the scouting structures of Quilmes and Vélez Sarsfield, reviews in this interview the fundamental pillars of the activity, his experiences, his role models, and his expectations. He also evaluates the challenges that the activity must face to establish itself definitively in Argentine institutional organizations.

In football, all dreams flash back to the first contact with a ball. This young man, who is on the path to maturity, midway between his 30s and 40s, expresses each of his ideas with a calm and convincing tone. Undoubtedly, the composure and sensibility of his words have been a quality fuel for every leap in his professional career.

The journey from that child who grew up in Caballito, the nerve center of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, to this scout for A.S. Monaco who now resides in Acassuso, a picturesque and traditional city in the Partido de San Isidro, located north of Greater Buenos Aires, supported by the Rio de la Plata, includes continuous growth within the bowels of this sport.

How did you get into the world of football?

My relationship with football has been practically, since I can remember, almost hereditary. However, my first approach to the professional field was between 2009 and 2010. After seeing an ad and subsequently applying, I began working for a company that did rival analysis for various technical staff externally, due to the absence of the current platforms and software that facilitate video analysis. The work was very artisanal and more cumbersome than it is today. But that experience was very positive and valuable, not only in terms of learning but also in gathering contacts. The success of this initiative instilled in me, throughout my career, the habit of knocking on doors and actively seeking opportunities. This is crucial for anyone looking to enter the world of football.

At what point did scouting start to interest you as an inherent activity in football?

From that experience as an analyst and starting to understand more precisely what scouting was about afterward, I quickly took an interest in the subject. What attracted me was the possibility of planning the assembly of a squad. Of course, the chance to detect talent before anyone else seemed like an attractive challenge. I saw the activity as very underdeveloped in Argentina and understood the need to detect low-cost talent to later value and sell it with a significant surplus value. I believed it was essential to develop scouting as a process.

How did you develop your methodology for the activity?

My methodological idea developed according to personal concerns about situations that arose in practice. At the same time, the reference to prominent figures in the field of Sports Management and scouting like Monchi and Víctor Orta contributed. Thus, the idea of putting on paper a work method based on those references, but understanding the change in the context of application, emerged. However, all the abstract ideas must then be translated into the reality of an institution. Although I initially did not have a place to apply it, that exercise was done through my conviction of what clubs needed to do in scouting.

Do you think scouting as an activity needs Sports Management as a middle command, or is it indistinct to respond to a directive apparatus with an established action plan?

I believe that Sports Management ends up being an indispensable command to coordinate the work of a scouting department. A scouting department's work must be coordinated, in my opinion, by Sports Management which acts as a link between the club's directors and the technical staff or the coach. However, I think that Sports Management is essential throughout the process. At some point, the less the directors or coaches interfere, from subjective viewpoints based on partial observation modes and without the necessary analytical capacity, the tidier the selection of options will be. Therefore, I consider the filter provided by the scouting department and Sports Management working together indispensable. This gives an order to the process, allowing us to know what is allowed and what is not, what has a basis, and what does not at each step.

Today you are involved in a European football work structure. From this, do you think it is so far-fetched to establish similar work processes in Argentina?

No, absolutely not. The first significant difference between an elite European club and what one can find in Argentina lies in the budgetary issue regarding human resources. But regarding the structure and methodology, I believe it can be developed in our country in the same way. There will be limitations and situations that cannot be managed in the same way. For example, the availability to travel to all tournaments or a weekend to another country in the region to watch matches implies an economic expense that an Argentine club usually cannot afford. But beyond that, I am convinced that with clear planning and work methodology, that model can be replicated. This is what I initially sought when I listened to references like Monchi, Víctor Orta, Fran Garagarza, or Emilio Vega. Replicating the Sevilla model, for example, is very difficult. But ideas can be taken from there to develop here. In that sense, I am convinced that within order and a clear line of work, with defined roles and responsibilities, and a general plan coordinating them, it can be done.

How does the budget influence the possibility of establishing efficient scouting methodologies in an organization?

It is a limitation for hiring human resources or covering certain tournaments. But it can also be an opportunity to sharpen ingenuity and optimize all available resources. I am convinced that the less budget there is, the more scouting must be done in such structures. This will give a foundation to the clubs. There are many mechanisms available. Internships, although I believe every job should be remunerated, are a possibility for those who want to get involved in the activity with new energy and ideas to enter the system. This also happens in Europe with video scouts. Naturally, with more budget, there are more facilities, but that deficit does not prevent an efficient process from being carried out.

What obstacles have you encountered during your professional growth in the activity?

There are obstacles, of course. Argentine football has inherent obstacles in its structures and day-to-day operations. Still, generally, many leaders do not want to delegate and do not like others making decisions for them. This is a fallacy. Many times, structures are created with names like technical secretariats or scouting departments that open a sort of protective umbrella for the leader without fulfilling their function. In another instance, the roles within the structures related to football should prioritize work and dedication, but this does not always happen. Probably the main obstacle is the lack of understanding of what a scouting process or technical secretariat means. In this sense, talking about Sports Management in Argentina is very difficult. This role encompasses much more than planning a squad or coordinating a scouting department, and this is complicated by the dynamics of the clubs. I like to introduce terms like “Director of Professional Football” to correctly define a role. I think these definitions are topics to debate when building work structures and defining functions. This way, we will know what they are, what they are for, and what each structure and its members are dedicated to.

Do you see the possibility that experience in scouting or talent spotting will give you tools to take on the challenge of Sports Management?

Yes, without a doubt. Scouting is a great university for training in Sports Management through knowledge of markets, football actors, etc. In that sense, scouting provides the foundation for further growth, which must then be complemented with knowledge of regulations, laws, and some economic aspects inherent to the role. However, I believe scouting is the best initiation for thinking about something more macro or more prominent in decision-making. In Argentina, I see this step as difficult because Sports Management, in terms of planning and decision-making, clashes with the influence of the directors. But something less ambitious in title but more developable in daily work could be proposed.

In Argentine football, where the result heavily impacts the political competition of each club, how do you see the management regarding the need to establish processes that do not imply the certainty of obtaining a result?

There is no doubt that the result impacts politics, and few leaders can see beyond the short term. Many times they believe that by setting up a technical secretariat or scouting department, they will lose power or position. In the end, they impoverish the clubs more, not only economically but also structurally and developmentally. The clubs that can incorporate these working methods and sustain them over time will have a higher chance of success. Although in football, there is no way to guarantee a result, I understand this as a clear rule. Therefore, I believe the leader should step aside. This does not mean they cannot have an opinion or be part of the internal dialogue. This is why they are elected by the members. The great merit of the leaders is to leave room for those who spend a lot of time analyzing football from a computer, a stadium, or any of the facets of these times. They can express their personal preferences, but if the specialist assures that there is a better option, supported by evidence, they understand that they spend more time on the subject and are hired for that purpose. Many times the lack of understanding of this generates overlapping roles and behaviors that, sooner or later, lead to a clash.

What do you think are the main shortcomings of Argentine football when working in scouting?

Look, I don't know if these are shortcomings, but I have a thought that has been developing for quite some time. I believe that scouting has not been given the value and importance that it really has. It is often said that the salvation of clubs, in a country with a complicated economic situation, which is not competitive either in South America or in the world, are the lower divisions. This is a big true. But I think that another leg is missing there, which is scouting. Without a doubt, this activity, along with the revaluation of the lower divisions, are the two pillars that clubs in Argentina have today to be able to stay afloat, be competitive and balance their accounts. By not putting the two things in the same place, I think a serious mistake is made. Scouting today has a predominant role that makes it an investment and not an expense. Unfortunately, it is often seen as a waste of money. And, on a budgetary level, I'm sure it's better to hire four or five people, even paying them very good salaries, than paying four million dollars for a player who arrives due to unsubstantiated subjectivities. With that money, a scouting department can be sustained for several years and improve the club's performance in each market. When you see that there are clubs that invest millions in dollars in each market, you understand that the problem is not one of lack of money but of poor distribution. This deserves a reflection that leads leaders to understand the importance of scouting within the structure of a club.

After having gone through promotion structures and the First Division of Argentine football and now being part of the work team of a club abroad, what is the difference that impacted you the most in terms of work methodology?

The difference is in the organization, structuring and planning. Preparing a market three or four months before it starts is essential. Here, many times, we begin to think about reinforcements during the market itself. So the difference may be in those types of situations. But this does not prevent each other from achieving the objectives they set.

What methodologies or what important parts of them do you think are missing to enhance activity in Argentine soccer?

As I said before, what is missing is knowing the subject. Have specialized and prepared people, with concerns. Without a doubt, interesting projects can be created. In Argentina there are also. I don't want to name names so as not to be unfair to others. But there are. Just as there are leaders with interesting ideas who know how to get out of the decision-making process to hand it over to those who have more tools. But I believe that the bad experiences led by former players who have been club idols, but have not had the necessary preparation to carry out those roles, have damaged the image of the technical secretariats or the scouting departments, generating a general discredit that can be understandable. In Argentina there are many more cases of failure than success. This causes distrust. But those of us who believe in this activity must continue to fight so that scouting as an inherent function of a club arises from conviction and not from urgency or convenience.

What is the reason that you think moves the Management of an Argentine club to think about resorting to scouting? And what do you think should be the main aspect that brings them closer to the activity?

I thread this with the previous answer. Many times what moves the management of a club to incorporate a technical secretary is urgency. “Oh, we're doing poorly and they're criticizing us so we have to bring in people to do what we didn't know how to do”… When something is born out of a rush and improvisation tends to go wrong. What should be the main reason should be the conviction that these structures are going to do good for the club and therefore for its own management. The team will perform better, it will generate more reliable structures, the club will generate much more money. In any case, we must consider that football is not an exact science. You can have the best scouting department and make wrong decisions because football is played by human beings and not machines. But even so, I am convinced that the margin of error is greatly reduced.

What references do you have within scouting today?

As I previously noted, that first dose of knowledge was Monchi, an undisputed reference in the world of scouting and Sports Directorates. I have dedicated many hours to listening to his presentations and ideas. Then Victor Orta, with whom a few years ago when we were developing the technical secretariat project in Quilmes we had the honor of meeting virtually and sharing experiences. His knowledge and humility are worth highlighting. And finally other exponents such as Emilio Vega, Fran Garagarza, who for me is a person with many positive ideas and in Argentina Diego Milito did a very interesting job in Racing, surrounded by very valuable professionals.

What is your horizon within the activity currently?

Nowadays my horizon is very clear: to stay in Monaco as long as possible. I am very happy with the work, with the human warmth of the entire scouting department and all my colleagues. I am very committed, very consubstantiated with my work and with the search. So today I am focused on continuing to learn, managing to obtain knowledge and that is what moves me. In the long term I would like to take on a football director role or something like that. I would like it very much. But I am a realist and I know that it is very difficult for an Argentine club to trust a person who has no past as a footballer and who does not have that protective umbrella that he talked about before. So I focus on what I have today and I am very grateful for the place I am occupying. It is a very big job responsibility that should not be deviated from. Monaco's objectives with the return to the Champions League after a few years and in the year of the club's centenary, mean that there is no room to think about other situations and one focuses on their daily tasks to do my humble bit to May this great club continue to grow.

Di Pasqua Nicolas