The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced new regulations for coaches in all competitions organized under its umbrella, a move expected to impact club and national team football in Tanzania.
Under the new rules, any assistant coach sitting on the bench in the CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup, or men’s national team competitions must hold a CAF A or Pro License, or an equivalent Pro License from another continental football federation.
This changes the previous regulation, where an assistant coach could occupy the bench with a CAF B License or an A License from another federation.
For major women’s competitions and women’s club tournaments, an assistant coach may hold a CAF B License; however, if they come from another federation, a Pro License is required.
Men’s youth teams must be coached by a CAF A License holder, with the assistant holding a CAF B License. For women’s youth teams, the head coach must have a CAF B License or an A License from another federation, while the assistant should hold a CAF C License or an equivalent A License from another federation.
Additionally, CAF requires that women’s teams participating in competitions have at least one of the head coach or assistant coach be female, aiming to promote gender equality in football.
Acting Secretary General of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Oscar Mirambo, stated that these requirements will be implemented in domestic competitions, with TFF needing to organize special capacity-building programs for coaches to ensure they meet the new standards.
This CAF decision is aimed at strengthening the professionalism of coaches across Africa and ensuring that all teams are led by qualified and competent technical staff.
