Africa-Press – Eritrea. FAZ President Keith Mweemba says the association has moved to raise goalkeeping standards in Zambian football through education and long-term planning.
Speaking at the launch of the FIFA Elite Youth Goalkeeping Coaches Course at Tecla Hotel in Lusaka, Mweemba says the initiative is a corrective step aimed at addressing deep-rooted shortcomings in Zambian goalkeeping.
He says the FIFA Elite Goalkeeping Coaches workshop will help create uniform goalkeeping methods across clubs, academies, provinces and national teams. Mweemba adds that FAZ has made a deliberate decision to confront weaknesses that have existed at both youth and elite levels in goalkeeping.
He said specialised areas of the game like goalkeeping can no longer be left to chance.
“This course is not just another activity on the football calendar. It is a strategic intervention,” Mweemba said. “We must be honest with ourselves about where our football needs strengthening, and we must be deliberate in addressing those areas through education and long-term planning.”
Mweemba told participants that their selection came with responsibility beyond personal advancement.
“You have not been selected by chance. You are strategic personnel who must take the knowledge, standards, and methodologies from this course and transfer them to clubs, academies, provinces, and national teams,” he said.
He said modern football demands goalkeepers who are tactically aware, technically sound and mentally strong, qualities that can only be developed through specialist coaching from an early age.
Mweemba said the elite course forms part of a wider FAZ technical plan which is focused on competence, consistency and continuity, He reaffirming the FAZ’s commitment to building sustainable solutions through people and education rather than reacting to results.
The course, which runs from February 2 to 6, is being delivered under FIFA standards and is facilitated by FIFA experts Alejandro Heredia from Argentina and Cameron Cox from South Africa. And Heredia said more attention needs to be given to goalkeeping as a critical department of a football team.
“We need to put our brains, our mind into goalkeeping. We try to pass information; fresh, new information from FIFA,” Heredia said.
