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Dumitru explains what is expected of Tovey

Cape Town - In light of the dilemma around the appointment of Neil Tovey as SAFA’s Technical Director (TD), Ted Dumitru has released a statement in which he explains exactly what qualities a candidate for the position ought to have.

Dumitru worked with the South African Football Coaching Association (SAFCA) on developing a new National Playing Philosophy (NPP) for SAFA.

SAFCA have been highly critical of Tovey’s appointment due to the fact that he was appointed without initially appointing a Technical Authority which would oversee the implementation of the NPP and be part of the electoral process of appointing a TD.

Dumitru, through a Facebook post, explained that the main responsibility of a TD is to “provide concepts, solutions and frameworks which can best implement a nation’s football technical policy”.

Dumitru reveals that this is a demanding task in a country like South Africa where there is no common playing philosophy or technical policy.

“In football developing countries such as South Africa where the technical policy has first and most important objective to define and introduce a philosophy that can maximize nation’s talent potential,” he begins.  

“This prime responsibility has many demands and challenges that are completely different than what we see in the advanced football scenario.

“A technical director in present conditions and development status of South African football would have to address much more important tasks than just assessing the performance of national teams and their coaches.

“The technical pre-requisites affecting the way football is played in the country (Playing Philosophy), the criteria for discovery of high grade talent and its complete development or the quality of PSL standards, etc., are top essentials on the technical director’s priority list.”

“The technical director in the current context of SA football must be an impeccable technical educator, competent developer who can conceptualize technical development according to the very specific local realities and critical needs.

“The ‘modern’ technical director is a multi-disciplinary expert – advanced insight of all aspects/factors of football (academic qualification is key), qualified educator, football physiologist/psychologist, creator/innovator of technical solutions, exponent of local culture, progressive mind, etc.”

Dumitru insists that only SAFA can reveal whether or not Tovey was appointed based on his above considerations.

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