CAF Licences Now Compulsory For Coaches

All practising coaches in Nigeria must as from the 2011/2012 season possess licences obtained from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Unless they have such qualification obtained through Nigeria Football Association (NFA), they will not be eligible to sit on the technical bench of their respective teams.

In line with the measure, coaches of national teams as well as head coaches of clubs in the Nigerian Premier, National and Women Leagues are to obtain CAF Licence B certificates.

Equally, head and assistant coaches of Amateur League clubs, assistant coaches at Nigerian Premier, National and Women Leagues are expected to obtain CAF Licence C certificates.

Already, the NFA has informed Nigerian coaches of the development and of CAF’s directive for it to organise courses that will lead to the award of the confederation’s B and C licences. NFA had on July 18 in a letter to the chairmen of  State Coaches associations, through the State Football Association (FA) Secretaries, started moves toward implementing the CAF directive. The letter was copied to the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) as well as the Secretaries of the Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women League and the National Amateur League.

In the letter signed by its Deputy Secretary-General (Technical), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, the NFA stated that it was mandatory for those categories of coaches to possess the certificates. “CAF has in line with this directed the NFA to organise the Licences B and C courses during the last week of August 2011 for all eligible coaches,” the letter reads.

The collection of application forms by interested coaches closed on August 1 with the forms to be returned on or before August 10. Commenting on the exercise, Ikpeme told newsmen that NFA had already sent some of the forms to the State FAs and the Nigeria Coaches Association (NCA) for distribution.

“We have sent the forms to the NCA, state FAs and others, while we have on ground at our secretariat in Abuja, Mr Siji Lagunju and Mr Rafiu Yusuf both of our Technical Department, to attend to all related matters,” he said.