Nyamilandu: TSG Symposium is a huge step for Cosafa

COSAFA Executive and Chairman of the Technical and Development Committee, Walter Nyamilandu Manda said the Technical Study Group Symposium that was held on Thursday and Friday last week in South Africa was a step forward for Cosafa.

Council for Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) has launched the Bridging the Gap initiative as the council aims to raise the standards of football within the region. The council launched the initiative in South Africa, Johannesburg during the Technical Study Group Symposium which started on Thursday, 23 May 2024.

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Speaking during the symposium, the former Football Association of Malawi President, Walter Nyamilandu said Cosafa will continue its ground-breaking development work off the pitch after holding their first ever Technical Study Group Symposium.

“The TSGs at our tournaments are vital for our region to keep up with the latest football trends and help our teams be more competitive on a continental and global level,” said Nyamilandu.

The TSG plays a vital role at any tournament in assessing trends and analysing the football on display to provide feedback to Member Associations, coaches and other stakeholders involved within the teams, according to Cosafa.

“We are delighted to have such a distinguished group of speakers and panelists that will provide expert knowledge and their vast experience of many decades in the game.

“We continue to strive to further our mandate to provide world-class development initiatives in the Southern African region and this TSG symposium is another huge step forward for COSAFA.

“We pride ourselves on hosting world class tournaments from the Under-15 age-group up to the senior national teams, and we always try to take forward the learnings from these to improve on and off the pitch in the future,” adds Nyamilandu.

The development of region’s football can be in the form of team systems, formations, style of play and the individual performance of players, which is invaluable to coaches to not only plan for the future but assess current developments within football.

Some of the leading experts in South African football – technical directors, coaches past and present and former players will be involved in the discussions.

Current Namibia coach Collin Benjamin, South Africa’s Dr Desiree Ellis, Roger de Sa, Shaun Bartlett and Shilene Booysen, Lesotho’s Leslie Notsi, Zimbabwe’s Wilson Mutekede, SA’s Mark Fish and Mauritius Football Association technical director Zunaid Mall are just some of the panelists offering their expertise.

Former players Reneilwe Letsholonyane, as well as current South Africa goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, will also be panelists. That is on top of experts in the field of sports psychology, sports science and performance analysis who will give presentations and lead panel discussions.

Football Association of Malawi General Secretary Alfred Gunda was leading a delegation of four officials at the inaugural Cosafa Technical Study Group (TSG) Symposium. The other Malawian participants are Technical Director Benjamin Kumwenda, Flames Head Coach Patrick Mabedi and Lovemore Fazili.