Khenyeza unfazed by lack of qualifications

Golden Arrows tactician Mabhuti Khenyeza has no time to entertain those who question his coaching qualifications, arguing “papers don't coach”.

Khenyeza is believed to possess only a CAF D licence. In April, Khenyeza and his then co-coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi, who has since left Arrows to take up a technical director's role at Chippa United, came under scrutiny when Safa technical director Walter Steenbok implied they lacked proper badges to coach in the elite league.

“You go to Golden Arrows, the two coaches there  do not have anything, and why do we expect our players to go and play in Europe?'' Steenbok said at the time.

Despite the scrutiny and negativity, Khenyeza has inspired Abafana Bes'thende to a brilliant start to the season, winning five of their eight opening league games, with just one defeat and two draws.

“I am not even aware that there are people who say I am underqualified to coach a Premiership team because papers don't coach,'' Khenyeza told Sowetan on the sidelines of the Carling Knockout launch and draw in Hyde Park this week.

“For me, there's not much difference between overqualified coaches and those who don't have these badges...the most important thing is talent and dedication. At the end of the day the coaching job is about how you apply yourself as an individual...this job isn't really about papers.

“However, I am not promoting that coaches must not upskill themselves but again, you can have these licences but still lack that hunger to compete.”

Arrows were pitted against Cape Town City in the last 16 of this Carling KO. Khenyeza had no complaints about the draw, suggesting the DStv Premiership had a level playing field.

“The draw is okay because we were expecting to be drawn against any team. We are all campaigning in the one league, so we couldn't have complained even if we were drawn against any other team,'' the Arrows coach said.