Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
MUCH-TRAVELLED football coach Cosmas Zulu has called for a holistic approach to football with emphasis on infrastructure and coach training with teachers exposed to a different syllabus to other coaches.
In an interview with Zimpapers Sports Hub last week, Zulu said the problem was not just with the coaches but the ecosystem and environment in which the game finds itself in.
He said the problem goes back to about 20-30 years ago.
Zulu said Zifa must come up with a programme that trains teachers to be coaches.
“People might rush to say the coaches are hard and are failing, this problem has been there for 20 to 30 years. There are a lot of people involved. The Ministry of Sports has to come up with a policy on how to develop football. Every kid at primary school has to be taught and his or her career starts with a teacher.
“We need to educate teachers, courses for teachers are half-baked, the curriculum for teachers who are coaches is different to that of coaching Highlanders or coaching first division teams,” said Zulu.
He criticised the situation at schools where kids are expected to start using one to three balls at training.
“What is the coaching teacher expected to do?”
He said the half-baked coaches tend to talk to kids while standing which induces authority and fear.
“You sit down so that they see you as one of them. That is where we need to start at primary school level,” said Zulu.
He said teachers are sticking to the old numbers positions instead of new terms like attacking right link, striker, anchorman or central midfielder.
“If a player like Ronaldo wears Number 77, the kid will wonder where that one plays,” said Zulu.
Online Reporter