Ex-Baroka coach Nyirenda picked for CAF Pro coaching course
Zambia is about to get its first elite CAF Pro License graduates with confirmation that ex-Baroka FC coach Wedson Nyirenda has been enrolled on the course.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) confirmed that Nyirenda is one of two Zambians they are sending to Morocco later this year for the CAF Pro Coaching License diploma course.
Zambia Women’s National team coach Bruce Mwape is the second coach FAZ has enrolled for the CAF Pro License course.
“Morocco has a fully-fledged coaching school and is licensed to offer the CAF Pro License,” FAZ spokesperson Sydney Mungala told FARPost.
“They have offered two slots to Zambia that will be taken up by Wedson Nyirenda and Bruce Mwape.”
Mwape and Nyirenda will be the second intake for the course, whose first graduates last June in Rabat include Pitso Mosimane.
Mosimane is the only CAF License holder from the COSAFA Zone whose qualifications are equal to the UEFA Pro License.
CAF ON THE COACHING LICENSE
“The CAF Pro License is strictly reserved for those who are actively coaching at a professional level, have demonstrated a high performance and also acquired a CAF A License or equivalent qualification recognised by CAF,” CAF said in a statement.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who oversaw an African national team’s debut semifinal appearance at the World Cup with the Atlas Lions in Qatar, also holds a CAF Pro badge.
Aliou Cisse, who coached Senegal to their maiden AFCON triumph in 2021, is also a pioneering CAF Pro License holder.
Nyirenda has been head coach since 2006 and won three successive Zambian league titles with Zesco United in 2007 and 2008 and later at Zanaco in 2009.
He also had three stints in Mozambique, where he won the 2016 league title with Ferroviario Beira and steered the same club to a runner-up finish in the 2022 Mozambique Cup.
NYIRENDA’S BRIEF SUMMARY
Nyirenda also presided over Baroka’s successful race to the 2018 Telkom Cup title.
Before that, Nyirenda also oversaw the radicle rebuilding of Chipolopolo between 2016 and 2018, infusing the likes of Patson Daka, Fashion Kala and Enock Mwepu into the team.
Nyirenda came close to qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, losing out by five points to Nigeria, who beat Zambia home and away but were unbeaten against Algeria and Cameroon in the same group.
Meanwhile, Mwape guided Zambia to back-to-back Women’s AFCON finals with a group stage exit in 2018 and a debut knockout round qualification in 2022 that also saw his team qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time ever.
Under Mwape, Zambia won their debut COSAFA Women’s Cup title in 2022 and qualified for the 2019 All-Africa Games but failed to travel due to an administrative matter.
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