“All three games will pose different problems and all are very good teams” Constantine
Abu Dhabi: Being a coach
in a country with over a billion population has its own share of challenges. Be
it cricket, football or for that matter any other sport, expectations always
shoot over the roof whenever a big competition lurks.
And who better that
Indian football coach Stephen Constantine to know that. The Briton has seen it
all, he had been there when the sport was struggling to re-establish itself
among the masses and has been again roped in after nearly a decade when it is
going through a major transition for the better.
For a team currently
ranked 97 in the world — their second best since their all-time high of 94 in
1996 and a low of 173 in 2015 — these are exciting times. They secured a direct
qualification to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 1984 after
getting the better of an ineffective Macau in their third-round Group A
qualifier last year.
“There has been a huge
change, players are more aware of things in terms of how to look after
themselves and of course, there is money in the game and better facilities,”
said Constantine in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.
“I don’t think there is
too much difference in terms of coaching the Indian players; they are always
very receptive and work very hard and in both my spells in India, we have done
really well. The credit goes to the players from the past and present,” added
Constantine, whose first stint with India lasted from 2002 to 2005.
The advent of India’s
biggest business conglomerate Reliance to aid the sport and establishment of
Indian Super League (ISL) has triggered a wave of renewed enthusiasm among the
fans in the country.
The big purse has drawn
in more youth to the sport. There is a sense of belief that India can reinvent
themselves on the big stage and bring back the glory days of the 1950 and 60s —
when they qualified for the Fifa World Cup and finished runners-up to hosts
Israel at the 1964 Asian Cup.
“Absolutely, yes,” said
the coach. “In terms of awareness and bringing football to people all over
India, the ISL has been great. Of course, there are things that could be always
better but things seem to be going in the right direction. Regarding the
I-League, the issues are the same to the ISL with regards to the development.”
Constantine is well
aware that the task at hand in the Asian Cup is not easy. His side are nowhere
close to being a regional powerhouse yet.
However, the 56-year-old
is more optimistic than ever. He is confident that his side will not be just
making up the numbers and will pose a serious threat to the rivals in their
group comprising hosts UAE, Bahrain and Thailand.
“All three games will
pose different problems and all are very good teams.” he said. “We will, of
course, try and create problems for our opponents and our objective is to make
it out of the group.”
“It’s always important
to do well whoever the nation is and it’s no different for us. We are going to
give everything we have and try to qualify from the group.”
Constantine’s contract
is up for renewal in March and an extension would largely depend on how he and
his wards fair in the continental showpiece event.
“It’s like any other
major event for me,” he added. “I take it one game at a time. Our final is the
first game and then take it from there. Of course, I’m really looking forward
to the games and delighted we managed to qualify top of our group. I’m 100 per
cent focused on doing well with the team and not contract issues.”
The Blue Tigers have
already shown a lot of promise after holding Oman to a goalless draw in a
closed-door friendly on Thursday.
“It was a good
performance against a very good Oman team who are the Gulf Cup of Nations
champions,” said Constantine. “We can improve in areas and we will look to get
better and are working towards it.”
Constantine also played
down reports that there was rift within the team and he and his star player Sunil
Chhetri were not on the same page.
“It’s brilliant and we
have a great group of players who are really excited to be here and looking
forward to the competition,” said Constantine, whose team will be playing their
first match against Thailand on January 6 followed by clashes with the UAE and
Bahrain on January 10 and 14, respectively.