On Igor Stimac, Bhutia reflected that a noticeable improvement was witnessed in the Indian team's performances during the former's tenure. He feels administration is the reason why Indian football is not able to benefit from two of the best coaches in the world
Bhaichung Bhutia (Pic: X/@bhaichung15)
India finished in third place in the CAFA Nations Cup under the coaching of Khalid Jamil. In the tournament, they defeated higher-ranked Oman by 1(3)-1(2) on penalties to clinch the bronze medal.
Speaking on Jamil’s appointment, legendary football player Bhaichung Bhutia suggested that he needs to maintain consistency and emphasised the importance of qualifying for the World Cup and the Asia Cup.
“Khalid Jamil has had a good start. I have just one suggestion: it is really important for him to maintain consistency. Sometimes he does really well, but in the next game, the performance deteriorates. I think what’s more important for India is to qualify for the World Cup and the Asia Cup,” Bhutia told ANI.
On Igor Stimac, Bhutia reflected that noticeable improvement was witnessed in the Indian team’s performances during the former coach’s tenure.
“I think in terms of Igor Stimac, the Indian team did reasonably well for a long time. He was with us for many years, and under his belt, we saw a lot of improvement in terms of performance—if not so much in rankings. Manolo Marquez stayed for a brief period, and I feel sad that two of the best coaches in the world, with so much experience, could not stay longer with the Indian team,” said the 48-year-old former footballer.
He also said that it is important to give time to Khalid Jamil to achieve success as head coach.
“Now we have brought in a local Indian coach. I think it’s very unfortunate that we lost two good coaches, but now let’s see, we have to give time to Khalid,” added the Namchi-born footballer.
Further speaking, Bhutia felt that poor administration is the reason Indian football has not been able to benefit from having two of the best coaches in the world.
“See, if you look at both coaches’ statements, especially Igor’s, it’s been a huge blast against the administration. With the second coach, you couldn’t keep him for six months, and he didn’t want to work with the national team. That’s very unfortunate, because every coach around the world wants to work with a national team. When you see a coach like Manolo, who had a great domestic record, not wanting to continue, it’s not a good sign for the administration,” he said.
(With ANI inputs)
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