The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
EXEMPTIONS remain in place for coaches who have been allowed to sit on the bench without the prerequisite Caf A coaching certificate despite pronouncements that Zifa will not permit any mentor without the highest badge to carry out their duties.
Zifa last week announced that it was becoming strict in enforcing the club licensing system and the executive committee has resolved that coaches and their assistants would not be allowed do their duty on the pitch without the mandatory Caf A coaching badge.
Zifa president, Felton Kamambo, however, said the directive will be in relation to those coming into the Premier Soccer League while those with existing waivers would be allowed to sit on the bench. The previous Zifa administration had allowed championship winning coaches that include Chicken Inn coach, Joey Antipas and national team coach, Sunday Chidzambwa to perform their duties. Kamambo said the waivers remain in place with teams coming into the Premiership required to comply with the Club Licensing regulation.
“Nothing has changed in terms of waivers for the coaches that have been granted exemptions for instance in the case (Joey) Antipas at Chicken Inn he is not affected. Compliance with Club Licensing is critical if we are to improve the game and comply with Caf recommendations hence teams coming into the topflight need to have coaches that meet the regulations,” he said.
The directive is most likely to affect Gweru-based TelOne who are coached by Joel Luphahla whose highest coaching qualification is Caf B. Kamambo added that with Caf giving the green light for the resumption of the continental body’s Caf coaching courses more coaches will be in line to attain the badges.
He said it was unfortunate the implementation of the regulations were followed by a review of the Caf coaching syllabi that led to the halting of all courses, adding the announcement that courses will resume in March should give relief to coaches as they would be able to acquire the requisite badges.
Caf are overhauling the way their coaching programmes have been run together with the content in the courses as they emulate those courses offered by other federations such as Europe’s Uefa which require field attachments and run over a longer period and are not just held in one sitting.
Local coaches were frustrated by the halting of courses with some coming up with conspiracy theories the move was meant to give some coaches leverage over others.
