Football | Man with a vision for Indian football would be ideal person as coach, says Kushal Das

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All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das has stated that the coach of the Indian team should be one who has a vision for the sport and he should be ready to take the sport to next level in our country. Stephen Constantine quit the top job after India’s exit from Asian Cup.

As soon as the Indian football team exited the AFC Asian Cup early this month, India’s then coach Stephen Constantine resigned as the coach of the team. Since then the post has been vacant and now the All India Football Federation(AIFF) has started actively searching for the right man for the job. In the same vein, AIFF General Secretary has stated that they are looking for a man with a vision.

"The experience of having coached a national team is always important because what you get from that, you won't get elsewhere.

"He has to be good in man management, has to have a vision for Indian football and he should be someone who is ready to take us to the next level. We are just not looking at some big names," Das told PTI.

Das also said that the coach should work with all the stakeholders simultaneously in a conducive manner. He also added that the future coach should be willing to take the Indian football to next level.  

"Ideally, he should be a father figure working in tandem with the players, clubs and All India Football Federation. He has to tell us about his vision and be willing to accept the challenge of taking our football to the next level, which is exactly what we want," Das said.

Constantine took the Indian team from very poor ranking to inside the top 100 during his second stint with the National Team. Even India’s recent unbeaten run of thirteen matches indicate an improvement in India’s game. Hence Das felt that with the kind of talent that India has at lower levels is the only way Indian football can go.

"We have come a long way from the 2011 tournament (Asian Cup), though we had Australia and South Korea in our group then. But still we have impressed and I think we were unlucky against UAE and Bahrain (in the 2019 Asian Cup).

"With the talent we have in our U-16, U-20 national teams I am confident that Indian football can only go up from here," Das said.

Das also explained that looking at India’s recent climb a foreign coach would be a better choice and hinted that lower division coaches could also be considered as a viable option.

"That is what we feel considering our goal. Also, people like Bibiano Fernandes, who is currently coach of Indian Arrows and Floyd Pinto, who is managing the U20 team, could also be part of the senior setup and moulded into complete coaches.

The Indian team had bowed out of the AFC Asian Cup earlier this month after starting with a bang defeating Thailand 4-1. But the team lost the steam soon and came second best in next two matches against UAE and Bahrain, thus crashing out of the tournament.

"So, it will be be great if the next head coach can also help in educating the coaches besides playing a role in the grassroots development programme. I must add that (Shanmugan) Venkatesh has done a great job with Stephen (as his assistant)," Das said.

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