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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
FC PLATINUM coach, Hendrikus Pieter De Jongh, has altered individual training programmes for his players.
He is battling to get them back into shape for the CAF Champions League campaign scheduled to get underway in November.
The Premiership champions have already started engaging authorities to help them start training.
“I am a professional coach and I have to prepare everything, in terms of preparations for the CAF Champions League, which starts in November,’’ the Dutchman said.
“Of course, the team management is running around to get that special permission but, as the technical team, we are also doing what we are supposed to be doing.
“My players have been sending video updates of their training routines, four times a week since May, and we have since intensified the regime since CAF announced that the CAF Champions league will now start in November.” He said he now wants his men to go a gear up.
“Remember, we are not training as a team, instead, we are giving the players individual work to do at their homes,’’ the Dutchman said.
“What that entails is that we definitely need to start team training, as we need to work on technical and tactical aspects, a lot.
“But, while the administration is working on getting the clearance from authorities, for us to start group training, the technical team cannot afford to be sitting.
“We have sought to intensify the way individual players have been training since May.
“Each player has to cover about 24 kilometres in a week. It’s a fact that players are not match fit, but we need to bring them into the right shape and condition them for the games.
“I have made a provision to check the players weight, once a week, and on that aspect we are working together as a technical team, including the medical personnel, to manage the players on what they eat and what they do while at home.
“One of my best friends is a nutritionist and that helps me a lot in terms of advising the players on what to take and what not to eat.
“We aren’t cry-babies but the situation is not normal. But, as football people, we have to play our part to prepare ourselves for games.’’
De Jongh arrived at the Zvishavane club early this year from Highlanders with the mandate to help FC Platinum do well in the CAF Champions’ League.
Online Reporter