In its 12 years of existence, the National Football League, now rechristened the I-League, has seen a plethora of foreign coaches. But when it comes to winning the biggest prize in Indian football, some mighty names have fallen flat. Marcus Mergulhao tells their story
Danny McLennan, George Blues (both Scotland), Walter Ormeno (Mexico), Francisco Tico, Carlos Roberto Pereira, Robson Mattos (all Brazil), Zecca Migletti (Portugal), Karel Stromsik (Czecholosvakia), Cheema Okorie, Clifford Chukwuma, Emeka Ezeugo (all Nigeria), Karim Bencherifa (Morocco), Amjad Sanjari (Iran), Gregory Tsetvin (Uzbekistan), David Booth (England), Philippe de Ridder (Belgium)
With the scope for error minimal and stakes high, foreign coaches are no longer an exception, but the rule. Take the English Premier League for example; the fabulous four - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - are all guided by foreigners who have won the biggest prize in good measure. Welcome to Indian football.
This sure is an interesting bit of information - no foreign coach has as yet won the National Football League crown in India for 12 years now. The line-up of those who tried their hands, and luck, at winning the biggest prize is jaw-dropping.
Danny McLennan made a big name for himself with Glasgow Rangers before embracing the madness at Churchill Bros; Walter Ormeno earned a bagful of respect in Mexico but when Dempo lost 0-4 to JCT Mills in the inaugural NFL he was stumped for words; Amjad Sanjari is a highly-respected coach instructor at the Asian Football Confederation but the Iranian presided over Dempo’s relegation in 1999; Karel Stromsik (FC Kochin) guarded Czecholosvakia’s goal at the 1982 World Cup and George Blues had an enviable coaching record across three continents.
Several foreign coaches made a world of difference to their teams and individual players. Mauricio Afonso, one of India’s craftiest midfielders, was pulled out of retirement by Mexican coach Walter Ormeno and he extended his career by three more years. Churchill Bros patron Churchill Alemao admits he will never get another coach of McLennan’s calibre even though the Scottish coach was famous for showing him the dressing room more than once.
So, why has the Indian football crown been so difficult to conquer for foreign coaches?
"Most foreign coaches think they can pull it off in India, but Indian football is such a maddening experience that by the time they come to grips with the system, they are already on their way out," explains Armando Colaco, who won a record three NFL titles with Dempo.
The key to success in coaching is continuity. However, with the rare exception of Chukwuma, most foreign coaches did not stay long enough to make an impact. Had Karim Bencherifa extended his stay a little longer at Churchill Bros, he could have probably enjoyed the fruits of his labour. "It’s easy for foreign players to adapt to the system, but for foreign coaches it’s an entirely different ball game. They have to understand the culture here, the habits, and most importantly the abilities of the players.
"They come to India with a different mindset as well. For example, a coach from Brazil will shake his head in despair when he finds out that our players pick up the wrong basics. Nothing of that sort upsets an Indian coach who has been here and done that," said Armando, who, intriguingly, picked his best lessons under McLennan when he was his understudy. Interestingly, at least three coaches sniffed the title, but stumbled at the final hurdle.
McLennan couldn’t pull it off against bottom-placed Indian Bank in 1996-97, allowing Sukhwinder Singh’s JCT Mills to walk away with the inaugural title. Last season, Bencherifa’s Churchill Bros were pipped at the post by Dempo and Clifford Chukwuma cannot quite explain why, and how, Sporting Clube messed it up against Mahindra United in 2006 when they were hardly known to put a foot wrong.
There is hope though with four out of 12 teams in the I-League counting on foreign coaches. Bencherifa’s Mohun Bagan seem the best bet for the title but the same cannot be said about Mumbai FC where Englishman David Booth who is into his second season after a two year stint with Mahindra.
Serbian Zoran Djordjevic has a talented bunch at his disposal at Churchill Bros but is less than a week with the team, while Chukwuma is no longer the soul of Sporting Clube.
For yet another year, it appears the league’s nationalistic credentials will remain intact.
NFL winning coaches
1996-97: Sukhwinder Singh; 1997-98: T K Chathunni
1998-99: Shabbir Ali; 1999-00: Subrata Bhattacharya
2000-01: Manoranjan Bhattacharya; 2001-02: Subrata Bhattacharya
2002-03: Subhas Bhowmick; 2003-04: Subhas Bhowmick
2004-05: Armando Colaco; 2005-06: Derrick Pereira
2006-07: Armando Colac; 2007-08: Armando Colaco
Source:Timesofindia.com
Danny McLennan, George Blues (both Scotland), Walter Ormeno (Mexico), Francisco Tico, Carlos Roberto Pereira, Robson Mattos (all Brazil), Zecca Migletti (Portugal), Karel Stromsik (Czecholosvakia), Cheema Okorie, Clifford Chukwuma, Emeka Ezeugo (all Nigeria), Karim Bencherifa (Morocco), Amjad Sanjari (Iran), Gregory Tsetvin (Uzbekistan), David Booth (England), Philippe de Ridder (Belgium)
With the scope for error minimal and stakes high, foreign coaches are no longer an exception, but the rule. Take the English Premier League for example; the fabulous four - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - are all guided by foreigners who have won the biggest prize in good measure. Welcome to Indian football.
This sure is an interesting bit of information - no foreign coach has as yet won the National Football League crown in India for 12 years now. The line-up of those who tried their hands, and luck, at winning the biggest prize is jaw-dropping.
Danny McLennan made a big name for himself with Glasgow Rangers before embracing the madness at Churchill Bros; Walter Ormeno earned a bagful of respect in Mexico but when Dempo lost 0-4 to JCT Mills in the inaugural NFL he was stumped for words; Amjad Sanjari is a highly-respected coach instructor at the Asian Football Confederation but the Iranian presided over Dempo’s relegation in 1999; Karel Stromsik (FC Kochin) guarded Czecholosvakia’s goal at the 1982 World Cup and George Blues had an enviable coaching record across three continents.
Several foreign coaches made a world of difference to their teams and individual players. Mauricio Afonso, one of India’s craftiest midfielders, was pulled out of retirement by Mexican coach Walter Ormeno and he extended his career by three more years. Churchill Bros patron Churchill Alemao admits he will never get another coach of McLennan’s calibre even though the Scottish coach was famous for showing him the dressing room more than once.
So, why has the Indian football crown been so difficult to conquer for foreign coaches?
"Most foreign coaches think they can pull it off in India, but Indian football is such a maddening experience that by the time they come to grips with the system, they are already on their way out," explains Armando Colaco, who won a record three NFL titles with Dempo.
The key to success in coaching is continuity. However, with the rare exception of Chukwuma, most foreign coaches did not stay long enough to make an impact. Had Karim Bencherifa extended his stay a little longer at Churchill Bros, he could have probably enjoyed the fruits of his labour. "It’s easy for foreign players to adapt to the system, but for foreign coaches it’s an entirely different ball game. They have to understand the culture here, the habits, and most importantly the abilities of the players.
"They come to India with a different mindset as well. For example, a coach from Brazil will shake his head in despair when he finds out that our players pick up the wrong basics. Nothing of that sort upsets an Indian coach who has been here and done that," said Armando, who, intriguingly, picked his best lessons under McLennan when he was his understudy. Interestingly, at least three coaches sniffed the title, but stumbled at the final hurdle.
McLennan couldn’t pull it off against bottom-placed Indian Bank in 1996-97, allowing Sukhwinder Singh’s JCT Mills to walk away with the inaugural title. Last season, Bencherifa’s Churchill Bros were pipped at the post by Dempo and Clifford Chukwuma cannot quite explain why, and how, Sporting Clube messed it up against Mahindra United in 2006 when they were hardly known to put a foot wrong.
There is hope though with four out of 12 teams in the I-League counting on foreign coaches. Bencherifa’s Mohun Bagan seem the best bet for the title but the same cannot be said about Mumbai FC where Englishman David Booth who is into his second season after a two year stint with Mahindra.
Serbian Zoran Djordjevic has a talented bunch at his disposal at Churchill Bros but is less than a week with the team, while Chukwuma is no longer the soul of Sporting Clube.
For yet another year, it appears the league’s nationalistic credentials will remain intact.
NFL winning coaches
1996-97: Sukhwinder Singh; 1997-98: T K Chathunni
1998-99: Shabbir Ali; 1999-00: Subrata Bhattacharya
2000-01: Manoranjan Bhattacharya; 2001-02: Subrata Bhattacharya
2002-03: Subhas Bhowmick; 2003-04: Subhas Bhowmick
2004-05: Armando Colaco; 2005-06: Derrick Pereira
2006-07: Armando Colac; 2007-08: Armando Colaco
Source:Timesofindia.com
