Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) strongly recommends that member organizations responsible for football in European countries accept people with a higher coaching education as sports directors. However, this is not necessarily a significant rule, as expressed by the then candidate for the position of the President of the Latvian Football Federation (LFF). Vadim Lashenko, Delfi approved by UEFA.
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Last Monday’s show “Delfi TV with Jānis Domburs” both current Latvian Football Federation (LFF) presidential candidates debated for the position of sports director. Minister of the Interior Sandis Ģirģens Andris Vaniņš, the goalkeeper of the Latvian national team, intended it, but the future president of the LFF, Vadim Lashenko, opposed it, referring to a UEFA rule that allows only a person with the highest coaching diploma or (UEFA) “Pro” category coach license in the country.
“I agree with him [Vaņinam] has a vision, but unfortunately he does not have a “Pro” license, “said Lashenko.” According to the rules of the International Federation of Football Federations (FIFA), the sports director must have a “Pro” coach license. That is a mandatory rule. “
Lashenko claimed that he had obtained information about such a claim from an acquaintance in the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and promised to send a document proving this fact to Gürgen. At the request of the Delfi portal, Lashenko and his representatives were unable to point to a specific UEFA or FIFA rule or send the document.
The Delphi portal contacted UEFA, which denied the existence of such a provision, but stressed that it was strongly condemned by the federations.
“The UEFA Coaches Convention does not explicitly state that a sports director needs a UEFA Pro license. However, we strongly recommend that sports directors have the highest UEFA coaching qualification issued by the relevant UEFA member association,” writes UEFA.
Already listed that worked in several countries as a sports director without such a license. In Norway, Lise Klavenes, a former national women’s national footballer, is a sports director who has a master’s degree in law after a career as a footballer at the University of Oslo, but has not worked as a coach at all. Dainis Kazakevičs, the former sports director of LFF, spent the first two years in office without a “Pro” license.
LFF in this post accepted Yuri Andreev last Tuesday, with which the agreement was signed by the end of 2021. Andrejevs is one of 28 coaches to whom LFF has issued a “Pro” license.
Federation President Lashenko has questioned how ethical it was to give Andrejev a position just before the LFF members’ congress. Lashenko promised to speak on this issue at the LFF board meeting on Wednesday.
In turn, LFF Secretary General Edgars Pukinsks emphasized that decisions are made on the basis of one’s own convictions, and not taking into account the political agitation around them. Pukinsky also reminded that administrative management is his responsibility, not the president’s.
“No one will tell me today that in one case or another the program is such that Yuri Andreev will not be able to do it, but any other candidate will be able to. The second aspect – did the presidential candidate have to speculate on the topic of sports director? Nowhere is it said is his, say, priority on which he must decide, ” Pukinsky acknowledged the statements of both candidates.
It has already been reported that on Friday he became the president of the Latvian Football Federation Vadim Lashenko was elected by an overwhelming majority, who until now headed the Latvian Indoor Football Association.
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