Breakaway association to push for standard contract for coaches

Speaking on the sidelines of a funeral service for former ZPC (Hwange) head coach Lindile Dube in Old Luveve  on Wednesday, the president of the Coaches Union of Zimbabwe, a breakaway association from the Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association, the legendary Moses Chunga, said the union was concerned about the pathetic contracts which some coaches were made to sign.

“We want to have a standard contract that will set  minimum perks for all coaches.  This will however not stop rich clubs from offering more to their coaches,”  he said.
Chunga said his association, by coming up with minimum perks, wanted to protect coaches from exploitation as was the case now.
The Gunners coach said the coaches were not just after free entrance to watch Premier League matches but wanted to ensure the welfare of coaches was improved so that the legacy and profession of coaches was protected.

He said the union had already registered with the Ministry of Labour and was in the process of coming up with a working document that will set guidelines on issues such as insurance policies, remuneration packages and pension.

“We don’t want to be an affiliate of Zifa because at the end of the day we will not properly represent our members. For the record, we stand for coaches’ rights and nothing else,” said Chunga.
The union reportedly paid for most of the expenses at the burial of Dube.

In response to veteran coach Cosmas Zulu’s call for coaches to be protected by their representative bodies especially Zisca when it comes to contracts, Chunga said his organisation by coming up with the standard contracting was already putting measures in place to protect members.
Chunga said his association will not fight the Bhekimpilo Nyoni-led Zisca but will simply concentrate on its core business of protecting and improving the welfare of its members by ensuring they are not shortchanged by clubs.

Some sections of the football fraternity have been raising questions regarding the relevance of the Nyoni led executive which they say is made up of some coaches that are not attached to clubs while others have never coached any club or played soccer at the highest level.