Don't judge unless you give opportunities to Indian coaches, opines Subrata Paul
Veteran goalkeeper Subrata Paul has stated that Indian clubs relied too much on foreign coaches and Indian coaches should be given a chance before judging. Even though a lot of work has been done on Indian coaches in the past few years, they have not been given opportunities to prove themselves.
International footballer Subrata Paul stated that the clubs should give more opportunities to Indian coaches rather than depending too much on foreign coaches. He believes that Indian coaches cannot be judged and differentiated from their counterparts if they are not given a chance to take charge of a team, at least for 2-3 years.
"Till the time we don't give opportunities to Indian coaches, how can we differentiate? Give the Indian coaches the chance. Let them work for some time, say 2-3 years. Then only something can be said. We are still not in a position to compare. No Indian coach has so far coached any Indian Super League (ISL) team," said Subrata Paul, as reported by Outlook.
Paul has played under several coaches during his illustrious career, which included both Indian and foreign managers. But the Indian goalkeeper feels that a lot of work has been done on Indian coaches in the past few years, but it would e a waste if they are not provided with a chance to showcase their abilities.
"In the last three or four years, a lot of work has been done on Indian coaches. Number of licenced Indian coaches have increased many fold. There are several Pro-licence coaches and A-licence coaches. I don't have the exact figure with me. So, it is difficult to judge unless you give them an opportunity whether it is ISL or the national team. If the Indian coaches fail to perform then we can say that yes, they are not up to the mark," added the goalkeeper.