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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
Zifa has been caught in the eye of a storm after it advised the Department of Immigration to issue Bulawayo Chiefs coach Nilton Terroso with a permit to work in Zimbabwe despite the coach not holding higher qualifications compared to elite Zimbabwean coaches.

Terroso is a holder of a 2013 Uefa A coaching badge, which Caf is on record saying its syllabus is the same as Caf A badge. Former Highlanders and FC Platinum coach Peter De Jongh lost his job at the platinum miners as a result of that position by Caf. Caf issued a directive that non-African coaches should be holders of a higher qualification than Caf A in an move meant to protect African coaches.

Uefa A holders can not be head coaches in top flight leagues in Europe.

Terroso’s last head coach job was with Sporting Clube Olhanense, a third tier league in Portugal.

Immigration laws on the criteria for awarding a work permit are also clear that the applicant must be an expert in a particular field with better and higher qualifications than Zimbabweans.

However, the authority on the field which the expatriate is coming for, in this case football which is run by Zifa, is the one that advises the permit issuing authority (Department of Immigration).

Zifa acting chief executive officer Xolisani Gwesela told Chronicle Sport that the association has sole discretion to decide who gets cleared to work in Zimbabwe or not.

“That coach (Terroso) was cleared to work in this country, yes, we know Uefa A is similar to Caf A but as Zifa it’s our sole discretion to accept or reject a request,” said Gwesela.

Questions will however, be raised on why Zifa would exercise such leniency on a foreign coach yet shutting out its own sons and daughters who are solely relying on the game.

A number of coaches have been barred from coaching in the PSL despite guiding their teams to Division One championships, names such as Luke Petros who guided Whawha to the elite league, Never Malunga who was head coach when Border Strikers won the ticket to the PSL.

The country has 41 Caf A licence holders and 144 hold Caf B licences.

A football administrator said it was astonishing that Zifa talks of having sole discretion on a clear technical matter.