adminTHE Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association in conjunction with Zifa will next month hold a Confederation of African Football Coaching Instructors’ course in Harare as part of efforts to produce more coaches in the country. This will be the first time Zimbabwe will be hosting the course and about 20 participants are expected to go through the programme.
Zisca president Bheki Nyoni said the course will run for three days, from 14 July, a day after the conclusion of a Caf A coaching licence course in Harare.
Zifa spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela said Burundian Caf instructor, Dominique Niyondima will be the assessor of the course while Gibson Homela will be the facilitator.
“There is a general shortage of instructors both in the country and in the continent hence the need to train more coaching instructors as this has been negatively affecting coaches’ education,” he said.
Nyoni said Caf urged them to enlist those with high educational and coaching qualifications for the course and only those with a Level 4 coaching certificate and above would be eigible.
“We have been clamouring for this course for a long while now because we feel there are few instructors locally thus limiting our efforts in training more coaches throughout the country. We feel there is a need for school teachers to hold football coaching qualifications, even at the basic level because they are the first who come into contact with footballers at a tender age,’’ said Nyoni.
“School teachers play a great role in grooming young players but unfortunately they are not schooled in any of the basics of football. Once we have a number of instructors we will be able to roll out lessons to all provinces.’’
Nyoni said three participants from the course would be selected to attend another Caf Elite Instructors Course in Cameroon in November.
He said one of the three participants going to Cameroon will be Zifa technical director, Takaendesa Jongwe.
“It is a requirement by Caf that an association’s technical director should be a qualified Caf instructor hence Jongwe will be among the three. An association’s education officer should also possess instructing qualifications but I am not sure if Zifa’s education officer, Brian Moyo will also be going,” he said.
Nyoni said the three coaches that will go to Cameroon would be eligible to conduct courses in other African countries while those who attend the Caf instructors’ course in Zimbabwe can only train coaches locally.
Gwesela said among those invited for the Caf instructors course are is Benedict Moyo, Sithethelelwe Sibanda, Misheck Chidzambwa, James Muhala, Philani Ncube, Philani Mabhena, Samson Mavhenyengwa, Richard Tswatswa, Tafadzwa Mashiri, Thabani Ndlovu, Jacob Chavungama, Innocent Chokugudza, Clement Bonda, Pearson Matibedza, Jongwe, Brian Moyo and Nyoni.
“Having more Caf instructors will certainly prove beneficial to us in the long run because we have had problems before where the qualified personnel are banned or suspended because of some issues and then they are blocked from conducting the courses.
“Former Zifa technical director Nelson Matongorere will not be available for these two upcoming courses because of a court case with Zifa but as Zisca we would have loved to have him there because he has the highest qualifications in the land. In 2009, another Caf instructor, Gibson Homela was also suspended and it inconvenienced us in a great way in the training of coaches and we had to fight to have him come back,” said Nyoni.
He said Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze instructed them not to engage Matongorere for the upcoming programmes.
Zifa will conduct the country’s first Caf A licence course from 30 June to 13 July at the Zifa Village after being given the green light by Caf. All coaches in possession of a Caf B licence qualify to attend the course.
Nyoni said they expected all coaches in charge of Castle Lager Premier Soccer League teams to attend as this would be in fulfilment of the Fifa Club Licensing regulations which state that any coach in the highest tier of football in a country should possess the highest qualifications available.
Highlanders coach, Kelvin Kaindu is the only coach who holds the Caf A coaching licence after attending the course in his home country in Zambia in December.
Nyoni said they had identified 36 coaches to participate in the Caf A licence course.
“The participants will first attend Module One from 30 June to 13 July and then attend Module Two for another two weeks in December,” he said.
Meanwhile the Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association is scheduled to hold its elections in September as the current executive’s four year term comes to an end.
The Bhekimpilo Nyoni-led executive has been in office since 2010.
Nyoni said they were in the process of organising elections and would start with provincial elections in August followed by national elections in September.
He said they were affording membership more time to renew their subscriptions to be eligible to vote.
“We want each and every member to be eligible to vote and also be able to seek whatever position they want without facing the hurdle of not being a member in good standing,” said Nyoni.
Provincial chairpersons and secretaries elected in August will vote for the national executive while the ordinary membership would elect the provincial office bearers.
Other members of the current executive include secretary general, Oscar Mazhambe, organising secretary, Prosper Kwenda and vice-chairman, Andrew Kadengu.
Provincial chairpersons make up the rest of the executive as board members.
Nyoni’s executive was seized with having to deal with the coaches’ welfare and received criticism from various quarters, which led to the formation of a rival body, the Soccer Coaches Union of Zimbabwe led by Moses Chunga.
The Zisca head said they had engaged a law firm, Chadyiwa and Associates and labour expert Charles Mudyiwa to assist their members when either signing contracts or at the termination of their employment.
Nyoni, however, said it was unfortunate most coaches did not seek the services of the experts who were in their books.
Online Reporter