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Ricky Zililo Sports Reporter
CANADA-based First Mobile Sports Academy will re-engage Highlanders with the hope of establishing a lasting relationship that will see both entities benefit from the partnership. FMA in 2009 entered into a partnership with the then Highlanders management which led to the juniors being known as Highlanders Academy but that project failed to take off due to some concerns that were raised by the club’s members.
In an interview at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport before his departure to Canada yesterday, FMA director of coaching Isaac Mbedzi said he met Highlanders chairman Peter Dube during his visit and was hopeful that the meeting would bear fruit.
Mbedzi said lack of clarity in the earlier partnership had led to the collapse of Highlanders Academy.
“I think the general mistake that happened in the beginning was that some critical information was hidden and at the end of the day issues that needed to be clarified were not.
“People were left with a wrong impression about the whole concept.
“The memorandum of understanding we had signed earlier was not legally binding but it was meant to be used to facilitate travelling arrangements should there be any Highlanders junior players that would have travelled to Canada for tournaments. All this information was twisted but that is now water under the bridge and as FMA we have started re-engaging Highlanders for future partnerships,” said Mbedzi.
He said his academy seeks to identify, develop and market young talented players using simple coaching methods.
Mbedzi said he had hoped to expose Zimbabwean players, with bias towards Highlanders to international scouts by inviting them to be guest players at tournaments in North America as well as Europe.
According to Mbedzi, the partnership that he wants to establish with Highlanders will see any serving executive chairman of the club, the club’s board chairman or any club representative being invited for football conferences in December to establish relations with Canadian clubs.
Should the deal with Bosso go through, Mbedzi said FMA would also recommend Canada-born players to Highlanders and that way it would create an avenue for Canadians to visit the country and profile Bosso globally.
“Every December we have scholarship tournaments and it is during this period that I had suggested that an invitation is sent to Highlanders for its serving chairman and the board chairman or any club representative to come to Canada.
“During their stay, they can make a presentation selling the club to Canada’s top teams like Toronto FC, Vancouver and Montreal.
“What is important is that people see this academy not as an individual thing but something that will help the club take another step towards development,” Mbedzi said.
Dube confirmed meeting Mbedzi and said he highlighted the irregularities from the first deal to the FMA director.
The Bosso boss said his club welcomes noble ideas and said should FMA “reinvent” their proposal, it would be considered.
“We discussed a couple of issues with Mbedzi and I was honest with him because that academy thing still lingers in people’s minds. The reason why the idea met resistance was that its structure was more individualised and I advised him that if he can change a few things, no one would stop a good idea,” said Dube.
Already, Mbedzi has recommended Canadian players, goalkeeper Jean-Felix Lemieux and striker Phillippe Barriault to train with the Highlanders first team with both entities set to benefit if they attract big clubs in South Africa and abroad.
“We are expecting the players on Friday and they will be attached to the Highlanders senior team.
“They will train with the team and it will be up to Highlanders if they want to use the players during the season.
“Lemieux and Barriault were part of the First Mobile team that took part in last year’s AC Milan Continental Cup in which they finished as runners-up.
Barriault was the top goal-scorer with five goals at the tournament which was held in Cleveland, Ohio, US, last year,” said Mbedzi.
On the duo coming to train in Zimbabwe, Dube said Highlanders want to know how they are going to benefit from the programme.
“The previous overseas players who came here were on vacation and they were not junior players.
“What we are saying as Highlanders is that we must not be found wanting and there has to be clarity on the said players before they come.
“Questions like Highlanders will train and develop the player and what is it that the club stands to benefit from that? The player will come here and when he leaves what then happens?
“There are also issues to do with the upkeep, insurance and other responsibilities that go with accommodating foreign players and all this needs to be clarified and sorted out from the beginning,” Dube said.
Online Reporter