The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
SINCE calling time on his football career, former Zimbabwe international Harlington Shereni has been all about giving back.
After all, both the country and the game have given him so much.
The sport gave him the chance to eke out a living, the means to support his family and the opportunity to travel the world during his stints in Switzerland and France with clubs SR Delemont, En Avant Guingamp, Nantes and FC Strasbourg.
“Since I retired, I have mostly been helping out with scouting and trying to help players move to bigger and better clubs and leagues,” Shereni said.
“I went back to Chiredzi (FC) and was a technical director there; went to South Africa, and helped out with a local academy that side, where I learnt my expertise and stuff.
“I have been involved with different academies, trying to build and foster relationships between them and some of the top European clubs.”
He is naturally excited about the impending visit by the Portuguese coaching duo of Francisco Couto and Joao Pedro for a coaching clinic this week.
The two coaches, whose visit is part of the FC Porto Zimbabwe Camp, will be conducting an extensive technical programme in Harare from March 13 to 18.
According to the organisers, the programme is mainly targeting junior football players and coaches.
Shereni is among those who will attend.
“I think what we all want is to have some of the best academies across Africa. It’s a long road to that goal and camps like these give us a good starting point,” added Shereni.
The FC Porto duo come highly recommended, and are expected to take coaches and players through some of the Portuguese clubs’ development culture.
“We will be having two coaches from Portugal and they will conduct training sessions for a group of local coaches and junior players,” said FC Porto Zimbabwe Camp representative Tichaona Moleni.
“These will be day camps that they will be conducting and we are looking at roughly 100 kids from various junior academies in the country.
“The two renowned coaches will take our kids and coaches through the FC Porto methodology, looking at areas like sports science, academy development, nutrition and even talent identification . . .
“We hope that they will give us their honest feedback on the level we are at, at this stage of football development, and offer us some tips and advice on how to improve.”
Moleni said Shereni’s participation would add value to both the kids and the programme.
Zimbabwe’s academies have increasingly been engaging with their foreign counterparts to build their capacities.
Those honing their skills at local academies Legends Football Academy and Real Betis toured Portugal and Spain last year for training camps.
The relationship between Prince Edward Academy and some Belgian clubs also saw their prodigy Bill Antonio eventually leave Dynamos for KV Mechelen.
