Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
FC PLATINUM coach Norman Mapeza has voiced his concerns about the lack of creativity in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
He has urged local players to broaden their horizons by watching top European leagues to learn from world-class talents.
Mapeza, a former Warriors captain and one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated football figures, made the call following his team’s 1-1 draw against Chicken Inn at Luveve Saturday.
“As coaches, we can’t teach players everything. They should watch and learn from these leagues on TV. Right now, we don’t have a single player in the domestic league who can take free-kicks,” said Mapeza.
The veteran coach believes that exposure to top European football is vital for the development of Zimbabwean players, particularly in terms of creativity and technique.
He stressed that watching world-class talent in action could help local players understand how the skills they practice in training can be translated into actual match situations.
“These guys need to learn. Sometimes they need to go and watch football on TV because they might think whatever we are trying to do on the training field doesn’t exist.
“They should go and watch it on TV; it happens.
“We are not teaching something that we do not know. We are teaching something that we know can happen. So we need to have that belief in the players in what we are teaching them.
“What we are teaching them is happening all over week in, week out. Go and watch Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal – these teams are doing these things we are trying to teach. Why can’t we do those things here?”
Despite his success at FC Platinum, where he has won league titles and other tournaments, Mapeza is not satisfied with just results. He is keen to see a more innovative, creative brand of football emerge from the PSL.
The lack of such players, he believes, is a major gap that needs to be addressed for Zimbabwean football to thrive on the international stage.
