ZIFA have been acussed of charging local coaches $300 to attend a five-day Caf A elite refresher course, with the association of trainers describing the fee as ‘exorbitant and segregatory.’
The elite refresher course, which started in Harare on Wednesday and is running until Sunday, was attended by around 34 coaches out of 68 locals who possess the Caf A coaching certificate.
Most participants attending are drawn from PSL clubs.
An opening ceremony is scheduled for today.
Zambian instructor Honour Janza is in charge of the training programme, although it is not clear whether he has been cleared by his bosses, the Confederation of African Football (Caf), to conduct the class since Zimbabwe is currently suspended from international football.
Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association (Zisca), an organisation that represents the welfare of the coaches, expressed its disappointment on the "exorbitant fees" that its members have been made to pay.
Other critics also said the refresher course was a fundraising gimmick by a broke Zifa, taking advantage of some "desperate coaches."
Only coaches and assistants with Caf A licences will be allowed to sit on the bench for Premier Soccer League matches when the season starts next month.
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"Our constituency feel these fees are steep," complained Zisca chairperson Bheki Nyoni.
"At the end of the day, it becomes segregatory in the sense that only those who can afford such fees are the ones whose fees are paid for by clubs. What of a guy who is not attached but needs to refresh himself? That means such a coach is sidelined and remains redundant."
"Their (Zifa) argument was that they brought in a foreign instructor and are taking care of all his expenses. They also said the coaches are also residents. But we are saying they could have made another plan because that figure is too high considering the economic environment that we are operating in. Not many people have that kind of money. Like I said, most of the participants, if not all, had their fees paid for by their clubs. What it means is that those without clubs to pay for them have been sidelined and will not have an opportunity to coach in the premier league until the next course is held, which we don't know when."
Zisca met with the Zifa leadership on Saturday where they discussed a number of issues, including the standardisation of coaching certificates.
This comes after the association proclaimed that it will strictly enforce Caf club licensing regulations this season which will only see Caf A license holders allowed to coach in the topflight league.
"We agreed that in future Zisca will sit down with the Zifa secretariat so that we come up with figures we think are reasonable for all the coaching courses."
But Zifa yesterday defended the fees, with the association's spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela saying they actually ‘subsidised’ the coaches.
"The coaches paid a subsidised fee of $300. That fee includes accommodation and meals, it's a full board. The association decided to subsidise the coaches so that the course can go ahead. People were saying it‘s fundraising, but a room at a lodge costs $80, each meal is $20 and they get three meals (per day). So simple mathematics should show that we subsidised the coaches because if you add all the costs including for the instructor, it comes up to around $1 000. But we charged them just $300," Gwesela said.
Caf A licences are valid for three years after the year of issue or renewal.
The holder of the licence needs to renew the document for a further three years upon completion of a refresher course organised by Caf.
But with Zimbabwe currently suspended by Fifa, a suspended Zifa board member said the Caf A refresher course being run by the association would not be recognised by Caf.
He warned that coaches were being fleeced of their money by enrolling for such a course.
Zifa's interim executive board led by Gift Banda has since last year been running different coaching and referees courses, including Zifa Level One and Level Two coaching courses.
The suspended board member, who chose to remain anonymous told NewsDay Sport that the courses being conducted are “just a fundraising gimmick by a broke association,” and all the certificates and licenses issued are "fake”.
“What these guys are doing is nothing but a fundraising gimmick,” he said. "The reasons those refreshers are done is to update the coaches and referees on the latest methods and they are done under a Fifa and Caf-accredited institution. At the moment Zifa is not. So, what they are doing is akin to someone saying I can give you a Cambridge certificate if you come and write an exam when they are not an accredited Cambridge examination centre. These guys know what they are doing is criminal, but there are desperate people out there who want to coach and who really think if they go for those refreshers, their Caf A licences are going to be renewed. They are just being taken for a ride. They (Caf A licences) remain obsolete certificates which will only be renewed when a legitimate Zifa, accredited by Fifa and Caf is running those courses. So, whether they bring a foreign person or a professor of football to come and do the courses, it will not change anything. Yes, the skills might be transferred, but the certification will still be null and void."
Zifa is currently suspended from the Fifa family due to government interference following the decision by the Sports and Recreation Commission to dissolve the Felton Kamambo-led executive board three years ago.
Zifa last conducted a Caf A course in 2017.
