SPORTS and Recreation Commission (SRC) director-general Retired Colonel Charles Nhemachena has hailed the Caf A licence coaching course currently underway at the Zifa Village in Harare, describing it as an important training of coaches which will help them to match the changes in a dynamic football environment. SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
The SRC boss was the guest of honour at the official opening of the Caf A licence coaching course — the highest coaching certificate under the continental soccer governing body. It is the first time it is being held in Zimbabwe.
“Coaching, just like any other profession, requires that one upgrades their skills from time to time so as to match the changes in the operating environment. Football has become a highly competitive sport and this, therefore, implies those in the coaching fraternity should be upgraded so that they can match their opponents and this has to be as a matter of priority if we are to take football to another level,” Nhemachena said.
“The recent performance by our national team bears testimony to what I have alluded to above and for this gathering, I would like to applaud Zifa for taking the bold step of training your coaches at the highest level because the higher one goes, the higher level of skills and competence they will require to coach their teams.”
Nhemachena also acknowledged that there has been public frustration after the Warriors were booted out of the race for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to be held in Morocco by lowly Tanzania who defeated them 3-2 on aggregate.
“There is no doubt there has been public frustration regarding the performance of our various national teams and this has led to the loss of sponsorship in some cases and lack of spectatorship at our league games. Upgrading the competencies and skills of the coaches is one of the ways of ensuring that our football becomes exciting and in the process it attracts sponsorship. I am informed that as part of the course, you [coaches] are going to cover management and may I kindly request you to reflect on how best you can also contribute to the revival of the game for the benefit of the country. It is no secret that football is now big business in other countries and yet we are struggling to make ends meet, we need to have a paradigm shift in the way we manage our affairs if football is going to make an economic impact,” Nhemachena said.
More than half of the top flight league coaches are attending the two-week course which started on Monday. They were joined yesterday by Botswana-based coaches Barry Daka, Rahman Gumbo, Blessing Moyo and Buffaloes coach Luke Masomere — the self-proclaimed doctor of Zimbabwean football.
