MBABANE – The Eswatini Football Coaches Association (EFCA) is drafting a strict policy to stop foreign coaches with substandard qualifications from working in Eswatini.
Speaking during the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Sigwaca House this past Sunday, EFCA Chairman Raymond Dlamini, who is also the Ntfonjeni Member of Parliament, acknowledged the value brought by expatriate tacticians while emphasising the need for stricter regulation. He revealed that EFCA is formulating a policy to ensure foreign coaches arriving in the country hold legitimate, high-level credentials.
“The country appreciates the input of expatriate coaches in improving the standard of Eswatini football, but the association is working on a policy that will ensure expatriate coaches do not bring substandard qualifications,” Dlamini stated.
The call for clear regulatory frameworks comes amid growing administrative loopholes. Teams frequently hire foreign tacticians to lead their technical benches, only for them to be registered as assistant coaches on paper because they lack the mandatory CAF A License or equivalent required to coach in Eswatini’s Premier League. In practice, these coaches perform head coaching duties without meeting official licensing requirements.
Addressing additional breaches of conduct, Dlamini criticised coaches who leave clubs unceremoniously. “We also have a problem of coaches who do not follow normal procedures of leaving teams, thereby bringing the name of the association into disrepute,” he cautioned.
While attendees also debated poor attendance and suggested moving future AGMs to the off-season, all proposals were deferred due to pending alignment with the Eswatini Football Association (EFA).
