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Phillip Zulu

Caroline Magenga Sports Reporter
UNITED Kingdom-based Zimbabwean youth soccer coach Phillip Zulu has hailed the move by ZIFA to include foreign-based players in the national Under-23 team ahead of tomorrow’s international friendly match against Morocco in Agadir.

Five foreign-based players — Munya Mbanje (Leeds United, England), Macauley Bonne (Colchester United, England), David Philani Moyo (Northampton, England), Kudakwashe Mahachi (Mamelodi Sundowns,South Africa) and Marvelous Nakamba (Vitesse FC, Netherlands) — were named as part of the Young Warriors squad for tomorrow night’s match at Grand Stade d’Agadir.

Zulu, who has been heavily involved in nurturing young talent in the UK and here in Zimbabwe, said ZIFA should now seriously look at bringing in more overseas-based players with Zimbabwean links.

“The move by ZIFA is a commendable strategy that was actually long overdue; it should have happened years back, but it’s happened now and it’s a welcome move looking at the future of football.

“I mean, it’s like we have Zimbabwe-born players who play at the highest level of academy football abroad and are used to playing for highly competitive sides that having the core of them joining forces with our local players will create a very strong team,” said Zulu.

He, however, pointed out that the key to the success of this strategy depended on the coaches.

“There is one issue ZIFA should look into in greater detail. We are bringing highly-trained players from Europe and some of them are playing in top academies and clubs in England, but the philosophy of local football coaching now becomes a big issue as well.

“We need to bring the same sort of football agenda that these guys are exposed to in Europe down here because at the end of the day these players are used to different formations, strategies, tempos and different game intensity.

“ZIFA should invite European coaches who will then facilitate coaching clinics and refresher courses for local coaches to enable them to continually be up-to-date with football developments and strategies so that even when we call foreign-based players down here, there will just be minimal differences in the technical aspects of playing and league levels.

“We should also make use of our overseas-based Zimbabwean football agents because they are on the road all the time; they see things happen and travel to different clubs and academies and can actually help with recommendations on who the best coach to work with is.

“We have players like (overseas-based former Zimbabwean players) Kennedy Chihuri, Innocent Mugabe and a lot of other guys on the ground that side who are actively involved in junior development whose input can also help.”

Both Chihuri and Mugabe, like Zulu, are also heavily involved in coaching and nurturing talented young players in the UK.

“We have a number of promising young players with Zimbabwean links who are playing for various academies and clubs in the UK and they are all keen to play for their fatherland at some point.

“But Zifa need to appoint someone or engage some of the Zimbabwean coaches, especially those who are based in the UK, to keep on checking on these players’ progress and then give some recommendations to the national coaches back home here in Zimbabwe.

“For example, Kennedy Chihuri has got his son who is playing at Under-14 level in the UK and he is a very talented player, hence we need to really try keep record on his progress and that of the rest of the players with Zimbabwean links,” Zulu said.