Indian footballers Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Jackichand Singh were ecstatic after head coach Stephen Constantine accepted his contract extension offered to him by the All India Football Federation (AIFF)
India coach Stephen Constantine
Indian footballers Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Jackichand Singh were ecstatic after head coach Stephen Constantine accepted his contract extension offered to him by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). This will make him the longest serving national coach in the history of the sport.
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The Englishman, who broke the news through an update on his blog yesterday, took over the reins from Dutch international Wim Koevermans for his second stint on January 16, 2015. Incidentally, both Lyngdoh and Jaki made their senior international debut for India in the same year (on March 15) against Nepal in the first leg of a two-legged 2018 FIFA World Cup pre-qualifier in Guwahati. A Sunil Chhetri brace sealed a 2-0 win for the home team.
Jackichand
India on a high
Under Constantine's guidance, India qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after crushing Macau 4-1 last October. The Blue Tigers are currently on a 13-match unbeaten run. "He's done a great job for the team. His man-management is very good and he gives high importance to fitness. He ensures that we are always united and has that belief in every player that they will give their best on the field.
"Not only that, he receives feedback very well and improvises accordingly on his plans as well," Lyngdoh told mid-day over the phone from Kolkata yesterday. India were struggling at 173 in the FIFA rankings when Constantine took charge, but what followed was a dream run as India broke into the Top 100 for the first time in 21 years.
Eugeneson
Constant improvement
"He has really helped me up my game and all of us have been improving under him. He always motivates us before a match and tells us to treat every game like it is our last. He considered us like family, both players and support staff," Jaki added. Constantine highlighted the upcoming fixtures lined up for the team in the upcoming year.
"We have, as usual, a very hectic and busy schedule, starting with our last qualifier of the Asian Cup, away to Kyrgyzstan on March 27. We have the Asian Cup Finals from January 5 to February 1 2019. National team camps will be as per the FIFA guidelines where applicable. There will then be a break in the ISL season so we can have a few more weeks to prepare for the Asian Cup in January," he wrote on his blog.
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