African Stars head coach Marvin Mbakera is among 30 candidates undergoing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) B licence course hosted by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) in Lusaka.
The Namibian top-flight league-winning coach is one of several foreigners participating, signalling the significance of the programme.
Candidates for the CAF B programme were selected on the premise of already having obtained a CAF C licence.
The course involves a theoretical and practical exam, which requires candidates to be fairly academically proficient.
During the official start of the CAF B course, FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said while he was excited to have a lot of interest from outside candidates, he expected Zambians to show 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.
“It has not been easy to get approval to host this course, but through the tireless efforts of the FAZ and through the technical directorate we are happy to finally be able to hold this course.
“With the increased number of qualified coaches, we expect that part of this qualification would reflect in the quality of coaching methods.”
Nchimunya Mweetwa, one of the candidates and Buildcon FC coach, at the event said: “If you look at where Zambian football is going, we need a lot 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 we can help the future stars of Zambian football.
“We have our friends across the borders from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Botswana, which shows this course is of great importance. They also want to enhance their coaching credentials.”
Mweetwa weighed in on ex-footballers taking up coaching, saying: “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, and you need to have people management skills.”
Simon Marange of Orlando Pirates in South Africa 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 to become better players for South Africa, Orlando Pirates, and the continent of Africa,” he said.
“Coming to Zambia was important because it is a different learning experience, it is different from what I am used to. I must get accustomed to a lot of things, which makes my learning even better.” – Cosafa.com
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