adminFungai Muderere in Harare
CONFEDERATION of African Football (CAF) instructor Taurai Mangwiro has challenged local football coaches to consider being good role models to their players and the society at large.
Mangwiro, a former Harare City and CAPS United coach, said this in his presentation titled a�?Qualities of a Good Coacha�? at a three-day sports writers workshop that started in Harare on Wednesday.
The workshop ends on Friday.
a�?Coaches should be admirable in appearance so as to gain trust and respect from their respective players and the society at large. Coaches should prioritise to be good role models and be worth imitating,a�? said Mangwiro who is also a teacher.
He added: a�?As a coach you should not let your dress code disturb your players. You should be presentable all the time. A coach should be orderly and organised.a�?
About the football coachesa�� cognitive qualities, the former Harare City gaffer said a coach should be intelligent, have an agile mind to read situations and improvise.
He also said it was of paramount importance for coaches to know their playing systems and tactics.
a�?Coaches have to greatly know their playing systems and tactics. They should understand the methodology when taking charge of a team. They should also be assertive, able to defend their opinions whether to their respective cluba��s executive members or fans,a�? said Mangwiro.
Meanwhile, Zifa communications and media manager Xolisani Gwesela said sports media practitioners and football administrators should consider working hand in glove for the benefit of the local sporting industry.
He said there was a need for sports writers to diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them an opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
In his presentation titled Media Ethics and Media Guidelines Gwesela said journalists should distinguish between advocacy and news reporting.
a�?I think as sports writers you should consider identifying sources whenever feasible. Always question sourcesa�� motive before promising anonymity. Make sure that headlines, news teases, promotional material, photo videos, audios, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. Never distort the content of photos and videos. Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting so as to get rid of agenda setting characteristics of the press,a�? said Gwesela.
He added that stage-managed news events had proven to be detrimental to sport. He also expressed his displeasure on sports journalists that have a tendency of plagiarising content from foreign websites that include Fifa.com
He also mentioned that it was very disturbing to note that local sports writers were also fond of not acknowledging material that they get from the Zifa website.
Online Reporter