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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club are unmoved by rumours that assistant coach Joel Luphahla is on his way out of the club, with Bosso chief executive officer Ronald Moyo stating that the gaffer has been busy preparing for pre-season training.
Following reports that the Highlanders board raised concerns to the executive about the ineligibility of first team assistants Luphahla and Antonio Torres to sit on the bench, there are claims that the former has been advised by close associates to step down.
The rumour mill further alleges that a team from the Northern Region is keen on engaging the services of Luphahla and they are hoping to seal the deal with the former TelOne championship winning coach next week.
Moyo however professed ignorance about Luphahla’s resignation saying the former Zimbabwe international whose contract is still running, was instead busy preparing for Bosso’s pre-season training which is expected to start on January 16.
“We’ve not received a resignation letter hence I am not aware of this alleged pending departure. Maybe it will come in the future but at the moment there is no such a thing.
We’ve been planning for pre-season as usual and as you know Joel is working together with coach Brito and Torres as one of the assistant coaches. So we’re planning for the season going ahead,” said Moyo.
He said the club was aware that Zifa is enforcing the resolution it passed some years ago on the qualifications of Premier league coaches. All the coaches and their assistants are supposed to have a minimum qualification of Caf A badge or equivalent.
“We’re aware of that and the coach (Luphahla) himself is also aware of that and he’s trying to work on his qualifications and as a club we’re also cognisant of the fact that we’ve got a running contract with the coach. So he’s still assisting the coach who is away,” said Moyo.
A number of assistant coaches and support staff were “ejected” to the terraces in July last year after failing to get accredited as they did not have requisite qualifications.
Qualified technical staff members that were accredited were coaches, team managers, kits managers, doctors, physiotherapists, fitness trainers and Covid-19 compliance officers.
A majority of PSL teams were not compliant.
Teams that had members of their staff barred from the technical area included champion FC Platinum whose assistant coach
Daniel Veremu, had a Caf B badge, Chicken Inn’s goalkeepers’ mentor Energy Murambadoro, Yadah’s Trymore Mtisi who was registered as a Covid-19 compliant officer and holds level 1 and 2 coaching certificates.
Bosso assistant coaches Torres, a holder of a Uefa B badge and Joel Luphahla (Caf C) spent the remainder of the season on the terraces.
Zifa implemented standardisation for local football coaching that requires all top-flight coaches to possess a Caf A licence at the beginning of the 2017 season. — @ZililoR
Online Reporter