Sukazi advocates for coaching badges in the PSL

TS Galaxy President, Tim Sukazi is encouraging all the other Premier Soccer league clubs to go for coaches with Pro Licenses.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Sukazi said Galaxy is reaping the rewards of being coached by a football tactician with a UEFA Pro-License in Sead Ramovic.

Sukazi who was initially advocating for the UEFA Pro-License until SABC Sport put it to him that there™s also a CAF-Pro License on the continent, says what is important is that the Premier Soccer League (PSL) must implement a highest coaching requirement.

œI think South Africa stands to benefit to have a coach like this. I am advocating for a league where the majority number of coaches in our league should be your UEFA Pro-License holders if not the entire league said Sukazi.

When asked about CAF-Pro-License Sukazi argued that the UEFA remains the best:

œI™m talking the highest coaching standard in the world; I™m talking Pep Guardiola standard I™m saying in Europe-we can™t take it away as Africans we are still lagging behind.

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Currently, the PSL has no requirement for coaches to sit on its benches, and this is despite CAF in its club licensing regulations in Inter-Club tournaments requiring a CAF A license for a head coach and CAF-B license for an assistant coach to sit on the bench.

In the PSL this season and last season, some coaches with not even the CAF-D license of only five days, have sat on the bench. And Sukazi says this needs to change, if the standard of football is to improve.

œWe need to set the standards for our league, you can see how TS Galaxy was before theSukazi advocates for coaching badges in the PSL holding coaching arrived, you now know TS Galaxy today you can see the difference, by the way it™s the same squad-90% of the squad is the same. In our starting eleven in the last three games that everyone is raving about, it™s only Villa (Sibusiso Vilakazi) who was not with us last season. So it just shows you that if we can take the coaching to the right level and prescribe it as football to say it has to be this level or nothing, our game stands to benefit, so I™m advocating for the highest coaching standard really, CAF or UEFA Pro-License then let it be so Sukazi added.

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In the COSAFA region, the top flight divisions in Botswana and Zambia already have coaching requirements for those who want to sit on their benches. And foreign coaches in those leagues, are also required to bring a certain coaching badge to be eligible for employment in the local clubs. Sukazi believes that this can only benefit our clubs

With the club battling relegation when the Serbian born coach arrived last season, he managed to save their top flight status on the last day of the season. In the last Q-Innovation of last season, Galaxy finished second to the champions Mamelodi Sundowns and this season they have started brightly, collecting seven points from a possible nine. Sukazi has reminded how the appointment of Ramovic was questioned in the country last year.

œWhen coach Sead Ramovic landed in our country I was questioned, as to his track record. I was questioned as to he never coached before, he™s got no experience-why this coach?

œThis TS Galaxy became his first coaching job, I put it bluntly-I said the arrival of Sead Ramovic in the country will prove to be a blessing to South African Football, I did say that and many again didn™t understand but fast track to today many now realise exactly what I was talking about bit by bit Sukazi added.

Sukazi also feels that the timing for Ramovic™s arrival in the country came at the right time when the coaching landscape is becoming younger and younger.

By Velile Mnyandu