Quality of teams in COTIF Cup will help Indian women strengthen their team, believes Maymol Rocky
Maymol Rocky is of the belief that the high standards of teams taking part in the COTIF Cup will help the Indian women’s football team improve. The Indian women’s team coach also stated that the inaugural Indian Women’s League was of great help for the Indian women footballers.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) have planned an exposure tour for the Indian women to Spain where they will play the COTIF Cup. The tournament, which involves some of the top teams of the World, will begin tomorrow, India’s coach Maymol Rocky is hopeful of the COTIF Cup strengthening the Indian team.Â
“We will play the COTIF Cup after our camp in Delhi, and that will further help us function better as a team. The quality of the teams in the COTIF Cup is really top-notch, and that is something that will help us strengthen our team,” Maymol mentioned in an interview with AIFF.Â
The Indian women will take part in the AFC Women’s Championship qualifiers soon after the COTIF Cup. India had lost all their matches in the last edition of the tournament but according to the coach, the team has improved a lot since then.
“Last season we had some Spanish clubs in the COTIF Cup. It was really difficult to play against them. If we can stand our ground against them this season, I feel we can do very well in the AFC Qualifiers. Last time we lost all our matches. But I think our team has grown since then,” the coach explained.Â
After a good show in the Indian Women’s League (IWL), goalkeeper Crystal Ann Pinto, defender Samiksha, midfielder Ritu, and striker Anushka Samuel have made it to the national camp which will begin from July 1. Rocky thanked the federation as the League was of great help for the women footballers of the country.
“I’d like to thank the AIFF for the manner the IWL has been of great help for the players. They had around a four-month gap between the Olympic Qualifiers, and now. They played a competitive league in between, and that really helped the players to be in top shape. The plus point is that we were able to add a few more players to the National team fold on the basis of their performance in the League.
“The attention on women’s football has really grown in the last few years. The clubs took good care of the players so that they could perform at the highest level without any hindrances. The Hero IWL has now become a good platform for the players to showcase their talent, and knock at the National team doors,” she signed off.