Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 10y

Real coach Zinedine Zidane subject of complaint over coaching badges

Zinedine Zidane has been officially denounced for not having the appropriate coaching badges to take charge of Real Madrid's B side Castilla.

The former World Cup winner with France and Champions League winning 'galactico' with Madrid was appointed as Castilla coach during the summer, and directed the team from the bench during the team's embarrassing Segunda B opening day 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid B on Sunday.

Zidane has spoken often about his ambitions to get into coaching, and graduated in January 2014 with a diploma in sports management from Limoges University, while he also spent the 2013-14 season as an assistant to Madrid first team coach Carlo Ancelotti. However he is thought to only have completed UEFA's A coaching badge, which is not accepted by the Spanish authorities as sufficient to take primary charge of a side in its professional leagues.

Miguel Galan, director of Madrid-based coaching course provider Cenafe Escuelas, told EFE news agency [picked up in Marca] why he was making the official complaint.

"Zidane does not have the required qualification," Galan said. "According to all the reports, he has just a UEFA 'A' license. That is not enough to take charge of Castilla. The coaches who have the qualifications must be defended. Any person, whatever their name, must get the appropriate qualification, approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

"That Real Madrid is one of the most recognised institutions in the world, and Zidane one of the symbols of this sport, does not exempt them from fulfilling the regulations which apply to everyone."

Zidane was named on last weekend's teamsheet as Castilla's assistant, with the fully qualified former Madrid youth team coach Santiago Sanchez down as the head coach. But nobody believes that is really the case, according to Galan.

"This sharing of the roles only exists on paper," he said. "The reality is just the opposite, Zidane is doing the job of coach of Real Madrid Castilla in the current season 2014-15, while the work of Sanchez is just to show his ID card, saying that with all my respect for a fellow professional. Nobody who has any relation with the world of football is unaware that Zidane is the coach. It is reported in the press, and Real Madrid do not deny it."

Galan also said he had supplied the authorities with images from last weekend's game, as well as from Castilla training sessions, which proved that Zidane was breaking the rules by coaching the team.

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