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LOBAMBA – Football consultant Mbuso Dlamini has decried the neglect of some issues affecting coaches.
Dlamini, who is also a seasoned administrator, was speaking during the Coaches Day held yesterday at the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Technical Centre in Lobamba.
Dlamini was the guest speaker at the event, which also doubled up as an award presentation for outstanding coaches across the various divisions including Super League, women’s football as well as National First Division and the Premier League.
In his address, Dlamini highlighted the predominant challenges faced by coaches and on top of the list was the abrupt termination of their contracts by team directors.
He said this had a negative effect on their emotional wellbeing.
The retired coach, who also boasts vast experience in coaching from the lower division up to the national team level, urged the Eswatini Coaches Association (ECA) to have a legal representative who would assist them in challenging their cases in court for unfair dismissal.
Pathetic
“The engagement of coaches is a sad topic. The current situation is pathetic because coaches are made to sign contracts that are too short and easy to terminate. Others are given a number of games target. I would advise the association to sign an agreement with a labour lawyer who will protect them when they are unfairly dismissed,” Dlamini said.
The 67-year-old retired coach, who is also the director of relegated Tinyosi FC (now Ezulwini United FC), urged the coaches to agree on certain terms before signing on the dotted line.
“Speak about interference before you sign any contract. If you can’t live with that, then you don’t sign. I once fired a coach and felt his pain because I had to choose between losing the players or the coach,” he added.
Although this applied across the global football fraternity, the prominent football administrator lamented the fact that players were paid more than their coaches, who he said deserved all the credit for producing a high performance athlete.
“Players have better contracts than coaches and are paid better. I urge the executive to, therefore, prepare a new model or prototype contract that coaches have to sign,” he said.
ECA Chairman Anthony Mdluli thanked Dlamini for empowering the coaches with crucial technical skills, which include self-conflict and engagement, among other things.
Meanwhile, among the awardees yesterday was Tobias Ntuli, who steered Seven Dreams to the Premier League. Leopard deservedly swept the boards after tightening their grip on the MTN Premier League title.
Seasoned football administrator Mbuso Dlamini protection of coaches from unfair treatment. is calling for
MBABANE – Tightening loose ends before the ship takes off.
Eswatini Football Association (EFA) over the past weekend empowered local referees ahead of the start of the 2022/2023 football season. This football season is expected to kick off next month.
The football mother body in the country staged a two-day referees’ symposium at Caritas, Manzini. The symposium was staged between this past Saturday and yesterday.
EFA Marketing and Communications Manager Muzi Radebe said the referees’ symposium was part and parcel of some activities they had already implemented to uplift the moral and spirit of referees. Worth noting is that during the first week of this month, EFA implemented a Member Associations (MA) Refereeing Course where 32 referees participated.
The symposium covered a range of issues such as manipulation and game fixing, technical and fitness analysis. Yesterday, it delved on common causes of injuries, their relationship with coaches, marketing and planning, as well as referees development programmes, among other things.
EFA Medical Committee Chairman Welcome Motsa, in his presentation on causes of injuries, emphasised on proper training, stating that it should be balanced such that each muscle of the body was trained. He also reminded referees of the importance of the Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PMCA) which he said was wise to be done beforehand.
On other note, Vusisizwe Mahlalela, who spoke in his capacity as a coaching instructor, lauded the pre-season meeting and lesson, highlighting that it would improve communication and conflict resolving between referees and coaches. He further called upon the adoption of technology to assess referees’ performance and mandatory shaking of hands after games as a form of sportsmanship to calm conflict between the two parties.
The Chairman of the Referees’ Committee, Sipho Kunene, stated that the symposium helped them review their past performances and together drafted a way forward. He also sent a token of appreciation to yesterday’s guests.
Kunene further mentioned that this symposium was an eye-opener as they would propose some possible means to work on the challenges that were highlighted.