The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
MANICALAND is probably the only province in the country without a resident CAF A coaching badge holder amid stunning revelations that Tenax, Buffaloes and Mutare City Rovers – three of Zifa Eastern Region Division One championship aspirants separated by less than five points in the top five of the latest log standings – are being coached by men without that football coaching qualification.
This explains why clubs in Manicaland, whenever they get promoted into the domestic top flight league, they scout far and wide in search of coaches with a CAF A coaching qualification since none of her sons and daughters resident in the province have it.
The CAF A coaching qualification is the highest coaching badge on the domestic scene and it is a must for one to possess it for them to be allowed to sit on a Premiership club technical bench.
Apart from caretaker Manica Diamonds coach Johannes Nhumwa – who in fact traces his roots to Masvingo province – Manicaland only has five resident CAF B coaching badge holders while the rest are either Level One or Level Two holders.
Timothy ‘Sicho’ Masachi, Brain Mukundu, Jimmy Muhala, Prince Tafirenyika and Chasten Ngondonga are the only CAF B coaching licence holders currently resident in Manicaland .
Ndega Matsika, the other CAF B holder, is now resident in Harare.
Zimbabwe has 75 CAF A coaching licence holders.
Zifa Technical and Development Committee secretary Simba Wisdom, who is also the Zifa Eastern Region secretary, said over the years there has been sheer reluctance on the part of prospective coaches in Manicaland to take up coaching courses until the courses were stopped by the continental football governing body – CAF – in order to align the curriculum to international standards.
“My personal view is that coaches of late never wanted to take up these courses until recently where I am getting quite a number requesting to attend. As I have earlier alluded to, we have four with CAF B the bulk are at Level Two.
“Also, of late, before the introduction of Technical and Development Committee these course fees were beyond the reach of many. I believe that once given a go ahead by CAF to conduct courses, we will as a region subscribe at least three of the CAF B holders provided they meet the selection criteria,” he said.
Manicaland Zifa chairman Kuziwa Nyabeze said there is need for an individual or personal drive among coaches in Manicaland to empower themselves.
“The inconsistencies of our teams to stay in the Premier Soccer League that have also contributed to our failure to have a number of coaches with CAF A badge. Those with the requisite CAF B which is needed to take up CAF A also need to have the hunger to go up. I only hope that next course will have at least three, it is also an individual drive that is needed for one to move up.
“It is also the passion to be among the elite that should push individuals to take up these courses. We will encourage the likes of Timothy Masachi, Jimmy Muhala, Brian Mkundu and Ndega Matsika, at least they are almost there as well as Chatsen Ngondonga,” said the former Gaza Gunners chairman.
However, CAF A coaching courses were last held in 2016 in Zimbabwe before the continental football governing body decided to stop conducting courses in order to revise content and align it with the coveted UEFA coaching badge.
This prompted former national team striker Alois Bunjira to comment that asking coaches to have a CAF A coaching badge in order to coach in the top flight league is similar to asking a Grade Seven pupil to produce a Grade Seven certificate to get a Form One place when Grade Seven exams were last held three years ago.
