Zambia: Thirty candidates are undergoing the CAF B licence course, with some coming from across the borders, signalling the programme’s significance. FAZ president Andrew Kamanga says his executive’s prime objective is to invest heavily in coach education to help develop the game. Meanwhile, CAF Instructor Sunday Kayuni says he is looking forward to having a meeting where the impact of the coaching courses is evaluated.
During the official opening of the CAF B course, Kamanga said while he was excited to have a lot of interest from some across-the-border candidates, he expected that Zambians should take more interest in the coaching programmes.
“It is particularly exciting that we have had a lot of international interest in this programme which speaks to the value of this undertaking. While we appreciate that we have been able to accommodate a few candidates beyond our borders, our desire is to widen the knowledge pool of Zambian coaches qualified to take up various coaching roles in our game,” he said.
Further, he asserted, “It has not been easy to get the approval to hold this course, but through the tireless efforts of FAZ through the technical directorate, we are happy that we have finally been able to hold this course. With the increased number of qualified coaches, we expect that part of this qualifies will reflect in the quality of the coaching methods.”
Kamanga said FAZ was not only training coaches locally but also sending others outside for programmes that could widen their knowledge pool.
“May I also mention that we have also managed to send two of our coaches to Morocco to pursue CAF A training as part of our commitment to coach development. We have selected our under-17 national team coach, Ian Bakala and Green Buffaloes coach Masauso Tembo who are promising young coaches. Our expectation is that they will be able to add value to the coaching landscape,” he said.
He also stated, “We have identified two coaches that will undergo the CAF Pro Licensing coach in Morocco under our Memorandum of Understanding with the Moroccan FA.”
Kamanga added, “We are also doing our best to improve various aspects of coaching for our coaches through the focus on specific need areas like goalkeeping, video analysis and performance tracking technologies like GPS.”
And Kayuni said that he felt appreciated for his contribution to the game for repeatedly being honoured to teach emerging coaches but hoped that the impact of the programmes could be evaluated.
‘I have a question; I have been discussing with my colleague here, and I have been then at least to know the impact of these coaching courses. Though when you are invited on and off, it shows that you are appreciated, but that is not enough,” he said. And Nchimunya Mweetwa, who is one of the candidates, gave his thoughts on the training.
“If you look at where Zambian football is going, we need a lot of educated coaches. CAF B has come at the right time for me and the other participants who will be undergoing this training. We really need to enhance our coaching so that we can help the future stars of Zambian football,” said the Buildcon FC Coach.
“If you see how important this course is, we have our friends across the borders from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Botswana. It shows that this course is of great importance. They also want to enhance their coaching credentials.”
Mweetwa, however, weighed in on ex-footballers taking up coaching, “Playing and coaching are two different ball games; you need to know how to manage the coaches, you need to know how to manage the players, you need to have people management skills.”
Simon Marange of Orlando Pirates in South Africa was enthused about his international experience at the CAF B Course.
“This is a very important programme, especially for some of us guys who are privileged enough to work with top talent at that level. This gives us the knowledge to mould them better and how they can become better players for South Africa, Orlando Pirates, and the continent of Africa,” Marange said.
“Coming to Zambia was important because it is a different learning experience; it is different from what I am used to; I am away from home. I must get accustomed to a lot of things which makes my learning even better.”
Among the notable attendees are 2012 Africa Cup-winning skipper Christopher Katongo, Dears Kakunta, Dennis Banda, Henry Banda, Lawrence Lubinda, Nicholas Zulu, Lewington Mujembe and Keagan Phiri.
Candidates for the CAF B program were selected on the premise of already having a CAF C license. The course is examinable in theory and practice, which requires candidates to be fairly academically proficient.