A host of current and former Premier Soccer League stars have jumped at the opportunity to start their coaching journey.
The SAFA Ekurhuleni region has taken it upon themselves to offer the CAF C Licence course at the Germiston Stadium in an effort to get the right people the right qualifications.
There have been a few instances in recent months where coaches cannot sit on the benches for CAF matches because they don’t have the correct qualifications, most notably Cape Town City’s Eric Tinkler and Khabo Zondo of Royal AM. This follows a change in the CAF licensing protocols for interclub matches.
Among the current players attending the course during the World Cup break are TS Galaxy forward Bernard Parker and Happy Jele, who was released by Orlando Pirates at the start of the season.
Up-and-coming coaches like Musa Nyatama (Swallows FC), Morgan Mammila (Chippa United) and Vincent Kobola (Baroka FC) are also on board, as are retired stars Isaac Shai, Esrom Nyandoro, Bevan Frasman, Wayne Arendse, Manqoba Ngwenya and David Mathebula, who recently rejoined Kaizer Chiefs as Under-19 coach.
“We saw a huge gap in terms of this FIFA break and some of our coaches could not sit on the bench because they did not have the required qualifications,” SAFA Ekurhuleni president and national executive member Job Mchunu said.
“We took the initiative to organise something for the coaches and SAFA-approved our course and we started on Saturday and will continue until November 26. The course is tutored by coaching scholars such as Simon Ngomane, Conti Khubeka and Keneilwe Mathibela.”