Clifford Miranda: This country’s answer to foreign coaches
The day Indian football came under the control of Reliance in 2014, the final nail was driven into the coffin of Indian football. To become a coach in an ISL team, you had to be a foreigner. In other words, the days of domestic coaches proving their worth and demonstrating their tactical intelligence were over. From Rahim Saab and P.K. Banerjee to Subhash Bhowmick, everyone became a part of football's archival history.
XtraTime Bangla Web Desk
Alexander the Great, the undefeated conqueror, set out on a mission to conquer the world. After conquering Europe and Africa, he arrived in the Indian subcontinent, reaching the banks of the Indus. Several kingdoms in the region surrendered to him. Defeat seemed almost ingrained in the nature of the people. But among them was one man named Porus.
Alexander's army captured him. Would he surrender, or would he...? Well, everyone knows this story from history. Why repeat the same tale all over again?
East Bengal lost 5-3 in Chennai. The moment the result came in, the familiar chorus of criticism began. East Bengal had lost, and that was all people wanted to talk about. Yet, amidst all this, I found something to celebrate as a Bengali and as an Indian.
The day Indian football came under the control of Reliance in 2014, the final nail was driven into the coffin of Indian football. To become a coach in an ISL team, you had to be a foreigner. In other words, the days of domestic coaches proving their worth and demonstrating their tactical intelligence were over. From Rahim Saab and P.K. Banerjee to Subhash Bhowmick, everyone became a part of football's archival history.
Yet, some of us believed that while we might not be able to play football at the highest level, we certainly understood the game at that level. We might naturally understand football, but physical limitations prevented us from competing internationally. India has plenty of brilliant football minds and tacticians who are capable of doing excellent work if given the right opportunities.
That was one side of the story. Then began the dominance of foreign coaches. Foreign coaches already had a strong presence in the national team. But in the ISL, every club started appointing not just foreign head coaches but also foreign support staff, masseurs, physiotherapists, assistants and even goalkeeping coaches. It was absolute madness!
Successful Indian coaches like Sanjoy Sen gradually lost their place in the system. Despite having an intense passion for coaching, they spent enormous amounts of money to earn their Pro Licence qualifications. But where were the opportunities to work?
Perhaps the match in Chennai has finally provided an answer to all these questions.
Everyone knows what Antonio Lopez Habas has achieved in India. I am not going to repeat those achievements here. He played in La Liga for Atletico Madrid and Sevilla. As a coach, he has worked with the Bolivia national team and several Spanish clubs, including Valencia, Tenerife, Celta Vigo and Sporting Gijon. Just imagine the stature of his coaching CV!
He even guided Bolivia to the Copa America final, where they faced Brazil. I remember watching that match on television back in 1997.
Against a coach with such an extraordinary profile, Clifford Miranda fought a battle much like King Porus against Alexander the Great.
He stood tall and demanded to be treated as an equal, representing the entire coaching fraternity of India and its indigenous footballing intelligence.
As for the 5-3 scoreline, write whatever you want to say in the comments.
Jai Hind!
