The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
NATIONAL team coaches are set to benefit from Zifa’s Covid-19 relief fund with a total of US$265 000 having been allocated to the mentors.
While national senior men’s team coach, Zdravko “Loga” Logarusic’s pay has been uninterrupted during the Covid-19 lockdown, other national team coaches have not been receiving any dues as they are on performance-based contracts.
The funds are part of the US$1,8 million Covid-19 relief funds that Zifa is set to receive from Fifa and Caf.
Zifa board member and technical committee chairman, Bryton Malandule said they had made provisions to pay coaches allowances as the stoppage of the game had denied them an opportunity to make earnings.
“While some of the coaches are not employed on a full-time basis, we took into consideration the fact they would have missed out on earnings opportunities through the absence of tournaments while the game is on hold.
“If a game would have been played a coach would have received allowances for camping, bonuses and other such allowances but now that everything is on hold, they have no income with respect to their appointments as national team coaches,” said Malandule.
Some of the coaches that are set to benefit from the fund include Tonderayi Ndiraya, who is the national Under-23 coach and assistant to Logarusic together with Lloyd Chitembwe, who is also in line for the payout, Under-20 gaffer, Philani “Beefy” Ncube, Under-17 coach, Tafadzwa Mashiri and Agent Sawu who is the men’s Under-15 coach. Women national team coaches are also expected to benefit from the fund.
Malandule, however, they will also be looking at hosting online refresher courses for the coaches using part of the funds although they were yet to draft concrete plans for that.
Malandule said referees will also be given a payout with referees’ instructors already engaged in online refresher courses which are being funded. He said while they initially made a payment of $2 000 for each PSL referees in April, they will be giving a stipend to all Zifa registered match officials with his committee currently compiling the names.
