The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Sports Editor
FORMER Highlanders coach, Bongani Mafu is in Hamburg, Germany where he is attached to Phönix Lübeck for five days.
Mafu, whose latest job was that of Ngezi Platinum Stars assistant coach said the attachment is meant to provide him with an insight into how teams are using technology to track players on the field. He has been observing how coach Oliver Zapel has been going about his duties.
Phönix Lübeck play in Regionalliga Nord (Regional League North) the fourth tier of the German football league system. On Sunday, they take on Hamburger SV II, a team that Zimbabwean international Jonah Fabisch plays for.
“I am in Hamburg, I am attached to a team in a small town called Lubeck where I am just following the coach’s work and seeing how they do things in terms of planning and using electronic devices to track players and analyse their performance and feedback to these players,’’ said Mafu.
The ex-Hwange coach is doing an Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems in Sports course with Major Sports Consultancy run by Zimbabwe Warriors fitness trainer, Nyasha Charandura.
“How they are using camera based tracking devices and wearable tracking devices basically to support the course that I am doing with a major sports run by Nyasha Charandura, the course is very exciting that I do in Zimbabwe but this is the practical version of what is happening,’’ he said.
Mafu was invited to Germany by friends he worked with during his time in the United Kingdom
“I was invited here by friends of mine whose teams I coached in the UK who have always had interest in seeing me develop my coaching and keep lining so in the absence of course which the technical director promised me will be coming soon for us, I need such an experience and the sessions are going very well, the level of concentration, the level of the drills that they do is very interesting and varied so I think it’s worth the trip, I will be here for maybe five days and then I will come back home, try to do these things with teams back home,’’ said Mafu.
The 57-year old is a holder of a Uefa B coaching diploma, Uefa B youth coaching licence, German international instructors coaching licence, Zifa advanced coaching certificate, Diploma in management UK Open University, certificate in management UK Open University. He is a final year student with Zimbabwe Open University studying for a Bachelor of Science Honors in Physical Education and Sport.
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