FAZ urges coaches to acquire e-licenses

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has called on all grassroots coaches especially those in schools to get trained and acquire coaching e-licenses in order to be professional.

FAZ coach education instructor, Chris Chibuye said the new system adopted requires that all coaches must be trained in order to be recognized.

“Let them develop their abilities… what they are teaching now is wrong because they have not gone through training in order to be able to be coach,” Chibuye said.

He added that untrained coaches will in the long run lose their jobs even though they have the potential because FAZ will soon stop allowing anyone to coach unless they are qualified.

ZANIS sports in Solwezi reports Chibuye said in an interview that professional coaches bring up skilled and professional footballers.

“Young players passing through qualified coaches will reach high levels in the game and play in clubs in the country and outside as international professional players… they can also play in the national team and will play better than the other players we have seen in the past, ” he said.

Chibuye noted that coaching licenses are now mandatory as no one will be allowed to coach anywhere where there is organised football, not even in schools or compounds without a license.

He said these are regulations by FAZ and FIFA who advised that every coach in grassroots football must be qualified.

“Coaching is a profession and E-license course is the entry point in which we teach the fundamentals of coaching the basics, then they can develop to other higher licenses,” Chibuye said.

FAZ is undertaking a provincial programme throughout the country to train football coaches.

Currently the football body is in in North-western province where about 80 aspiring couches are being trained.