Highlanders say no decision has been made regarding assistant coach Joel Luphahla’s status, who doesn’t hold the requisite qualifications to sit on the Premier Soccer League (PSL) bench.
It is mandatory for PSL coaches to possess a CAF “A” badge or equivalent. Luphahla is a holder of a CAF “C” Licence.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has emphasized that they will not be making any exemptions anymore.
Highlanders chief executive officer Ronald Moyo on Thursday dismissed reports that Luphahla has resigned from the club. Moyo said:
Let me set the record straight on the resignation letter. If there is such a letter, it has not come to my office and I can confirm that I have never received such a letter.
It has not come to my attention. Maybe it will come in the future but as far as I am concerned there is no such letter.
Luphahla is said to be on his way to MWOS FC, a team that is based in Norton and will be competing in the ZIFA Northern Region Division One league this year.
Moyo said head coach Baltemar Brito and the other assistant Antonio Torres are expected in the country in the next two weeks. He said:
We have been planning for our pre-season as usual as you know that Joel is working together with coach Brito and Torres as one of the assistants, so we are planning for the season going ahead.
We are also aware as a club of ZIFA’s implementation of a resolution that was made a few years ago that all coaches and their assistants should be CAF “A” holders. We are aware of that and the coach (Luphahla) is aware of that.
He is working on his qualifications and as a club, we are cognizant of the fact that we have a running contract with the coach.
If there is anything that happened during the course of the pre-season; we will communicate.
But as things stand, he is assisting coach Brito, there is no resignation letter and no decision that has been made.
Torres, a holder of a Uefa “B” licence, was also not cleared to sit on the bench in the course of the season last year.
Highlanders are reportedly mulling registering Torres as a physical trainer while Luphahla could also be re-assigned in the club’s technical structure.
