12 April 2019 – Bafana Bafana assistant coach Molefi Ntseki and Team Manager Barney Kujane are in Cairo to represent South Africa at the draw ceremony for the Total AFCON 2019 taking place in the Egyptian capital tonight (12 April 2019).
On the technical side, Ntseki joined coaches of the qualified teams where they were able to exchange ideas during a workshop – in particular, the technicians were able to familiarize themselves with “the latest refereeing guidelines.”
Regarding the video assistance referee, many teams hope to obtain guarantees on its application during the African Cup of Nations.
On the technological side, the Confederation of African Football also explained the upcoming use of GPS trackers on players involved in the tournament to measure their performance and other indicators.
First ever pre-AFCON coaches workshop
For the first time, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organized a coaches’ workshop for all the teams who have qualified for the 2019 Total African Cup of Nations in Cairo, Egypt.
Nineteen of the 24 teams who have qualified for the final tournament scheduled for June 21-July 19 were represented by their coaches at the workshop which was conducted by Anthony Baffoe, the CAF Deputy Secretary General in charge of football and development.
“The essence of this workshop was to meet the coaches who are the key actors of their teams, exchange ideas and knowledge towards a successful tournament. We also discussed technical and tactical issues related to the tournament as well as organizational arrangements,” Baffoe said.
The coaches were updated on the GPS technology provided for by CAF partners Catapult Sports and were also taken through updates of the laws of the game which will come into force on June 1. CAF referees manager Eddy Maillet took them through this session.
This year’s AFCON is expected to be special, first as it will include 24 teams expanded from the previous 16 while it will be played in June/July for the first time ever, away from the traditional January/February dates.
Team Managers familiarize with obligations before AFCON
To ensure the smooth running of the 2019 Total African Cup of Nations in June, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organized a workshop for all team managers in Cairo to familiarize them with their obligations.
The Team Managers are an integral part in the running of a successful Cup of Nations as they are the link between the teams, tournament organizers and the media.
Among the issues they were taken through included their pre-match and match day obligations, safety and security, media obligations and all the marketing issues around the tournament.
The managers were also familiarized with the kitting requirements and regulations which include the size of jersey numbers, jersey sponsor and player names to ensure uniformity and a perfect fit for a quality television production.
The participants were also familiarized with the CAF marketing and advertising policies which are aligned in tandem with FIFA regulations. They include the prohibition of advertising on the jerseys, as well as underneath shirts.
Also stressed out to the managers by CAF was the fact that no religious or political messages should be borne on the underneath jerseys.
CAF’s head of safety and security Christian Emeruwa also updated the managers on the security arrangements for the tournament especially noting how much traction among fans and media an expanded AFCON will bring.
“We are committed to ensuring that we deliver the best security to you and the CAF Security committee is working alongside the local police to see that all this is taken care of. The team will be under proper security always at the hotel, training ground and match day,” Emeruwa affirmed.
(source: CAFONLINE)