Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA communications manager Xolisani Gwesela flew out of the country on Tuesday headed for Egypt where he will attend a three day course for General Coordinators at the invitation of Caf.
Gwesela becomes the first Zimbabwean to be appointed by Caf to such a position.
“I am very humbled to be invited by CAF to attend such a prestigious workshop that will go a long way in improving our skills in the general management and organisation of matches at both local and continental level. Football has undergone a revolution and there is need for continuous learning and sharing of ideas. Proper match organisation is the hallmark of professionalism in our beautiful game,” said Gwesela in a brief interview from Egypt yesterday.
Watched on television or from the terraces of a stadium, a football match looks pretty straightforward but this outward simplicity masks an extraordinarily complicated organisation, at the crux of which is the General Coordinator.
A coordinator’s working life consists of painstaking attention to detail, combined with to-the-second timing of the different stages before a match.
The General Coordinator’s duties involves answering such questions as; at what time should the team coaches leave the hotel to arrive at the stadium to give enough time for the players to warm up? And how should the security staff be positioned and control the different access zones? If there is a medical emergency, what should the ambulance’s route be? For the pitch to be in perfect condition for the match, should the ground staff water it?
“For a tournament to run smoothly, someone must have the answers to all of these questions and many more — besides the authority to make decisions based on that knowledge. This person is the General Coordinator, the person ultimately responsible at a venue for everything that happens before, during and after a football game,” says Fifa.