Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIFA’S new technical director, Dominique Niyozima, has been hard at work since his arrival in the country in August, getting an appreciation of the state of grassroots football in the country and what may be needed to speed up development.
Niyozima has already been to seven of the country’s 10 provinces and has travelled over 5 000km mostly to areas where there has slow of not stagnant development.
The experienced Burundian is expected to implement a fresh long-term development plan which is in sync with the vision of the ZIFA leadership.
ZIFA’s long-term developmental plan was approved last weekend, which also includes having capacity building of coaches, referees and administrators and enhanced working relationship with schools.
Academy football is also a key component of the game’s development but Niyozima is worried with the influx of nurseries in the country, most of which do not meet ZIFA’s required standards.
Zimbabwe now has over 150 academies, but according to Niyozima, a country of this nation’s size should have around 25 academies.
“Academies have different categories and there is a certain criteria used when determining a conforming academy.
“We look at several issues, whether you have an email address, a bank account, how many coaches,” Niyozima said.
The former Burundi senior and youth teams coach yesterday took time off his development work to interact with the media when he addressed sports writers at a workshop organised by the Sports Writers Association of Zimbabwe and ZIFA at the association’s training centre in Mt Hampden.
“I was talking to one of my guys at ZIFA and he told me we now have 159 academies in Zimbabwe and it doesn’t make sense.
“We should have a maximum of 20 or 25 academies if we are to reduce these to proper academies,” said Niyozima.
He, however, said ZIFA would not stop existing academies but will instead assist them to conform to standards.
“We will not stop those in existence. We will be visiting them and asking them to upgrade.
“We believe academies should be made up of the best players in an area.”
Niyozima singled out South Africa and Senegal as some of the African countries with well-structured academies.
“That’s why Senegal and South Africa are doing well at youth level. Their academies are well structured,” he said.
Senegal and South Africa are among the nine African nations through to the last 32 at the ongoing Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.
Niyozima also spoke against age-cheating and highlighted the need for local coaches to constantly upgrade themselves.
“The fact that there was no coaching course in Zimbabwe in the last seven years means the coaches have lagged behind.
“But that’s what we want to address by putting up coaching courses that meet CAF standards,” revealed Niyozima.
While he may have appeared a newbie to some, Niyozima is no stranger to the Zimbabwean football terrain.
He the man who trained some of the country’s top coaches 11 years ago when leading the first batch of CAF A Licence holders during a course in Harare.
That class of coaches included Kalisto Pasuwa, Norman Mapeza, Barry Daka (late), Lloyd Mutasa, John Nyikadzino, Jairos Tapera, Lizwe Sweswe, Godfrey Tamirepi, Pearson Matipedza, Mandla Mpofu, Newsome Mutema and Herbert Maruwa.
