Herald
10 June 2010
By Ellina Mhlanga
ZIMBABWE and Germany have signed a Memo-randum of Understanding for the development of the country’s football as part of the European nation’s support for sport here.
The pact was signed between the Germany Embassy here in Harare and the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart and the German Embassy’s first secretary Matthias Schuhmacher signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
This will see Zimbabwe engaging a Germany coach Klaus-Dieter Pagels to help in its football development programmes.
Pagels will come to Zimbabwe in August for a period of two years and will provide technical expertise in youth football where he will be instrumental in the development of an all-year youth league ranging from Under-11 to Under-19 age groups.
He will work with women’s football with a lot of emphasis placed on the promotion and inspiration of school girl soccer through tournaments at their level.
Pagels will also assist in the development of Five-A-Side football and the training and development of coaches and referees.
The Germany coach will also be involved in administration of the sport.
Coltart said there was a big need to invest in sport as it plays a vital role in the development of the country’s economy.
“My ministry is concerned with the development of sport and realises the need to equip the sector so as to make it realise its potential as a source of economic development,” said Coltart.
He said sport, especially football, needs support through the availing of technical expertise besides the usual financial assistance tranches.
“Sport, especially soccer, needs to be resourced not only through the injection of finances, but through the availing of technical expertise to increase its developmental programmes and its reach to the grassroots in our society.
“The future and sustainability of soccer can only be in developing a strong developmental, broad based, inclusive youth policy.
“Without a foundation for soccer the nation is least likely to see its teams taking part in future world, continental and regional tournaments.
“It is in the pursuance of the above that the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture has decided to partner with the Federal Republic of Germany through the GTZ to partner and develop both the in-school and out-of-school football in Zimbabwe.
“GTZ has undertaken to provide technical expertise in the person of a football expert seconded to Zifa’s Soccer Development Department from the German Football Association,” said Coltart.
Zifa were commissioned by the ministry to work hand-in-hand with the Department of International Relations of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Frankfurt/Main.
“Further, it is imperative on me to clarify that this expert does not come to MoESAC and Zifa as a coach for the national team. His role is to oversee the development of the sport from grassroots level.
“Zifa should not derail these sport development efforts at any time as it is in the interest of the future of soccer that they see to it that the efforts succeed,” added Coltart.
Zifa board member in charge of competition, Benedict Moyo, applauded the government for its support.
“We want to thank the government for according us a second chance to have a dance with the German technical assistance,
“That is what we were looking for because when we came into office we knew that we were going to be judged by the performance of national teams.
“With our financial status engaging a foreign coach was always going to be difficult but now we have a Germany coach coming and he is not coming as a national coach but he is coming to assist all coaches, all age groups from the juniors to the seniors,” said Moyo.
Moyo said there was going to be a link now from the junior to the senior level.
“Now there is going to be no age cheating because we will now have a to monitor all that.
“He will also be involved in talent identification and come up with necessary developmental structures and once he does that our soccer will go up.
“We want to develop our own culture of football,” said Moyo.
Women’s football chairperson Mavis Gumbo said the move was a major boost to women’s football that has over the past years struggled to come up with sustainable developmental structures.
“I am so excited and this is something good for the girl child. It is a very big boost to women football.
“It just came at the right time and is going to help us a lot because we are restructuring from zonal level,” said Gumbo.