Foreign coaches under pressure at SAFF Tournament
Prince GUNASEKERA reporting from India
FOOTBALL: NEW DELHI, Dec. 3 - The South Asian Soccer Championship
which is now in progress in New Delhi will be an acid test for foreign
coachers. Out of the eight countries taking part in the tournament, six
teams are coached by foreigners. Hence, the foreign coaches in charge of
the six South Asian countries would be under tremendous pressure to
maintain their track records as professionals.
Except for the hosts India and Afghanistan, all South Asian countries
are coached by foreign soccer experts. Sri Lanka team is coached by
Korean Jang Jung while Pakistan is in the safe hands of Serbian Zavisa
Millosavljevic. Japanese Hiroaki Matsuyama is in charge of Bhutan team
while Hungarian Istvan Urbany coaches the Maldives. Bangladesh team is
coached by Macedonian Nikola Ilievski. Former Tottenham defender and
winner of two FA Cups (1981 and 1982) Graham Roberts is guiding Nepal’s
fortunes. All these six foreign coaches have one common goal – to make
sure that their team beats five-time champions India.
The technical power play of the Indian team, which still believes in
local coachers, has been closely monitored by the six foreign coachers
who are making an all out effort to put an end to India’s unblemished
record.
On the other hand, the future of these foreign coachers with their
hired South Asian teams would mainly depend on how their boys’ perform
in the ten-day tournament. Hence, they would use all their experience
and knowledge in moulding their respective team for the richest prize in
South Asian soccer.
The final of the eight-nation tournament is scheduled to be played at
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here in the Indian capital on December 11. All
eyes are on hosts India who are looking to clinch their record sixth
title. But, after their recent 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Zambia and
with a dismal FIFA ranking of 162, India will face tough task in their
attempt to emerge victorious from troubled waters?
The SAFF Championship has been one India’s happy hunting grounds,
with five titles to their credit in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2009. But
Indian football has not been shaping well in recent times with defeats
to the aforementioned Zambia as well as Pakistan and Malaysia.
India’s coach Savio Medeira admitted his team was humbled by the
quality of Zambian football. “There is a vast difference between Zambia
and India. Their standard and quality of football is far ahead of us,”
the Goan said. The 46-year-old Medeira took over the job late October
will be eyeing success at the SAFF Championship to answer a few critics
of his own when India tackle Bhutan, 1995 champions Sri Lanka - who are
ranked 176th by FIFA - and Afghanistan in Group ‘A’.
The Group ‘B’ would see Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and 2008 SAFF
champions Maldives clashing for honours. Bangladesh, the highest ranked
SAFF side (142), is the focus of attention in Group ‘B’.The remaining
matches of the tournament are as follows:
Dec 4: Nepal vs Bangladesh; Pakistan vs Maldives
Dec 5: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka; Bhutan vs India
Dec 6: Pakistan vs Nepal; Maldives vs Bangladesh
Dec 7: Bhutan vs Afghanistan; India vs Sri Lanka
Dec 9: Semi-finals
Dec 11: Final.
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