BY TERRY MADYAUTA
NEWLY-promoted topflight football club WhaWha will have to look for a new coach to take charge of the team in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) because current coach Luke Petros, who helped them win promotion, does not have the requisite coaching papers.
PSL coaches are obliged to possess a Caf A licence to coach in the topflight league, documents which Petros, does not possess.
The association has made exemptions before, allowing coaches like Joey Antipas to coach in the premier league, but it’s highly unlikely that they would allow Petros.
Antipas, who is also the Warriors current coach, was allowed to coach because he has won the league title before.
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services side was promoted after winning the Central Region championship a fortnight ago.
However, their celebrations appear to be haunted by the fact they could be forced to replace the former Warriors forward.
Petros also guided the team to the league in 2015, but was demoted to a less prominent role in the set-up that had Lloyd Mutasa at the top.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
WhaWha chairman Watson Matara said they had appealed to Zifa.
“We wrote to Zifa soon after our promotion with the hope that maybe they will give us some light with regards to this Caf A issue,” Matara said.
“Of course, we must have a coach with the Caf A, but we hope the authorities will ensure that the course if held at least early next year, so that we can send him. We want to avoid what happened last time, when we had to hire another coach to preside on Petros’ work. We are yet to get a response, but I hope when it comes, it will be positive.”
Matara fears that changing the technical team, who helped the team to win promotion, will disturb the camaraderie in the squad.
The Caf A licence requirement has proved a pain for most coaches because the course has not been held in the country in a long time.
TelOne were also forced to change their coaches after gaining promotion at the start of the season, demoting winning coach Joel Luphahla, who had no requisite papers.
Coaches like Thulani Sibanda, Mkuphali Masuku, Taku Shariwa were also affected by this requirement.
