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Cape Town - Polokwane City coach, Kosta Papic, believes that coaches and administrators in South African football need to arrive on an agreed upon national style of play that is not merely a replication of another country’s system.
Papic told Sport24 that it is important for a country to have a unified way of playing in order to improve youth development.
“To copy other countries is not necessary, there is a South African style of football or style of coaching that has to be unique,” Papic said.
“First of all you have to recognise what is your national style, and that style of football is not dependant on the coaches but rather on the players themselves and the qualities that they bring.
“SAFA have to recognise what they really want and what kind of style they have.
“It is one thing for SAFA to implement the style and employ the coach to play that style, or do they give the coach the freedom to play their own style?
“I am a professional football coach so of course I prefer that SAFA give the coaches the freedom to do their job.
“If you are implementing a defensive style with long balls in a PSL club side and the players adapt and can win then that is also very good because that means the players are tactically ready for anything.
“But if we say that South African players are very skilful and like to play the short passes then that must be recognised in the PSL, but which club is playing like that in the PSL?” Papic asked.
Papic’s comments come a few weeks after the South African Coaches Association (SAFCA) presented SAFA with their proposal for developing a new National Playing Philosophy (NPP).
