Enyimba’s Head Coach, Finidi George, and his assistant, Coach Yemi ‘Yema’ Olarewaju, were unable to sit on the club’s bench during their CAF Champions League matches against Al-Ahly Benghazi.
This was because they did not possess the necessary licenses required by CAF, despite having UEFA A and UEFA C licenses.
Dr. Christian Emeruwa, CAF’s Head of Safety and Security, emphasized the importance of adhering to CAF’s licensing regulations.
Unfortunately, Enyimba faced a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Al-Ahly Benghazi in the competition, without their two coaches present on the sidelines.
“CAF intention is to raise the standard of coaching education in Africa, this is why to be on the bench for CL you either have a CAF A license or UEFA Pro licence.
“Or other sister Confederation Pro licence while the assistants are to have a minimum of CAF B which unfortunately Finidi and his assistants do not have in this case.”
“CAF accepts anyone with a CAF A and UEFA Pro, AFC Pro or any Confederation Pro licence to serve as Head Coach for CL and assistants must have a minimum of CAF B. This rule applies to all across the continent and it’s not new.” Emeruwa explained.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Enyimba International, Nwankwo Kanu acknowledged the absence of the two coaches and said that they will require some time to address the situation.
“Definitely we will do what we have to do. We know why they are not there and we have to put it right. The future is bright. The truth is that it’s not up to two months when I came in.
“You have to meet a lot of things, a lot of people. You have to strengthen them and pull them in one direction and let them know it’s not business as usual. I believe we’re progressing well,” the Super Eagles legend stated.
