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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

ZIFA says it will not be deterred to enforce policies and regulations of the game such as ensuring that only qualified personnel and authorised individuals are allowed in the dugouts from Premier Soccer League down to First Division. 

There were outcries from PSL clubs that Zifa was being harsh by demanding payment for clearance letters for members of their technical teams to be accredited. The clubs argued that they had settled registration fees at the beginning of the season.

A number of assistant coaches and support staff have been “ejected” to the terraces after failing to get accredited as they do not have requisite qualifications.

Zifa technical development chairperson Kenneth Mhlophe said they are simply making sure that clubs adhere to Fifa/Caf Club Licensing requirements.

He said they will enforce the policies and regulations as part of football clean-up.

“Those who claim to have paid for their coaches when the season started, let them produce evidence and if their members of the technical staff are qualified, we will clear them. We can’t have a situation where we turn a blind eye and say because we’re not involved in international football let Zimbabwean football be an animal farm where anyone can do as they please. There was an annoying increase of disregard of the club licensing with unqualified coaches and supporting staff at the benches of the PSL. We don’t make rules on who qualifies to be at the bench, it’s Fifa and Caf.

ZIFA House

“Just last week, we witnessed an embarrassing episode in a Caf Confederations Cup match in Swaziland where coaches of Royal AM FC were not even allowed to go to the dressing rooms at halftime in their preliminary round game against Mbabane Highlanders. So, should we turn a blind eye and have unqualified coaches at the bench? It’s not like what we’re implementing is new, having qualified personnel at the benches started in 2017,” said Mhlophe.

He said after the PSL, the clean up will cascade to First Division.

 Zifa implemented standardisation for local football coaching that requires all top-flight coaches to possess a Caf A licence at the beginning of the 2017 season.

Standardisation of coaches meant that Premiership gaffers and their assistants should be in possession of a Caf A badge. Division one coaches should have a minimum of Caf B while assistant coaches are required to be holders of a Caf C or Zifa Level Four licence.

In the Second Division, a coach should have a Caf C licence while their understudies are required to have a Level Three qualification as a minimum qualification. The coaching standards also cascaded down to Division Three, tertiary institutions and schools. For secondary schools, a Zifa Level Two badge became mandatory and primary school football coaches were expected to have at least Level Two certificate.

Zifa has of late been organising coaching clinics to capacitate coaches. With Zimbabwe not hosting Caf coaching clinics, Mhlophe said: “The Zifa technical director Wilson Mutekede is working on plans to have refresher courses for elite coaches. We need to capacitate our coaches.

“We’re also encouraging women to participate in these coaching programmes so that they can coach women’s soccer. Club licensing tenets dictate that clubs should have men and women’s sides so it is important to have women participating,” said Mhlophe. –  @ZililoR.