By Ricky Zililo
CHICKEN Inn FC coach Joey Antipas will attend a three-week long coaching attachment programme at Germany’s topflight club Werder Bremen to learn changes in international football.
Antipas, who led Chicken Inn, the 2015 Premiership champions to a third place finish in the 2018 season, is in Denmark on holiday.
In an interview from Danish capital Copenhagen yesterday, Antipas said his son Quincy who plays for Hobro in Denmark, organised the coaching attachment which will start on January 4, 2019 and end on January 25.
“I’m really excited about the programme that I’ll be attending to just after the New Year. At the moment
I’m recharging my batteries on holiday here in Denmark before leaving for Germany on January 3.
“I’m grateful to my son Quincy who organised this three-week long attachment at Werder Bremen which is important in the sense that I’ll get an insight on football’s ever changing developments. This programme is practical because it will be hands-on,” said Antipas.
This is not the first time that the two-time championship winning coach with Motor Action in 2010 and Chicken Inn in 2015 is attending an international attachment.
Antipas, a holder of a CAF B Coaching Licence has been improving himself by attending overseas attachments, with the first being at Borussia Dortmund in 2012 followed by another at Danish side Brondby in 2013.
The Chicken Inn gaffer declared at the end of the 2018 season that his side will be gunning for the title in 2019, setting a tone for a competitive year as defending champions FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum Stars, Triangle United as well as Highlanders are expected to compete for the coveted domestic silverware.
Antipas wants players with “firepower” to soldier all the way in their quest to win the 2019 title.
In 2018, inconsistency cost Chicken Inn the championship as they dropped points at crucial stages, allowing FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars to turn the title race into a two-team event.
“I thought we could’ve done much better in 2018. There were times when we were also in the race and we just lost the plot, lost games we should have won or drew. I am therefore looking forward to beefing the squad.
“Some of the players right now still got it but I don’t think they’ll be good enough because we want to challenge for the championship. So to challenge the championship you need to bring in players who will add value to the squad.
“Some of the players are in the twilights of their careers, so we have to add more firepower. By firepower I mean a couple of more youthful players. Football is about fighting, so we need to bring in fighters,” said Antipas.
Chicken Inn have been busy on the market, strengthening their side before the end of the festive holidays.
The Gamecocks have signed 24-year-old pair of striker Clive Augusto and midfielder SiphoNdlovu as well as 19-year-old Aces Youth Academy product Panashe Mutasa who turned out for Dynamos in the 2018 season.
Augusto played for Ngezi Platinum Stars last season while Ndlovu was in the books of relegated Bulawayo City FC. The Chronicle