Germany's <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/world-cup-qualifiers-spain-secure-dominating-victory-against-georgia-23603568" rel="nofollow noopener">football</a> legend Lothar Matthaus feels that only the best coaches can produce good footballers, and India need to bring in former players to train their coaches.
He also feels India, which is one of the most populated countries in the world, cannot be in a situation where it doesn't qualify for the Football World Cup.
"You get good footballers only when they learn from the best coaches. India needs good coaches to produce better footballers. A good teacher makes a good student. And when you have a bad teacher, or a bad professor, you don't get good students. To start, you bring the legends, ex-players and reputed coaches to India to teach your coaches. Then these coaches can help the new generation of players. You have to start this at the school level," he said.
He cited the example of Cape Verde, a country which has a limited population but has made it to the upcoming <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/fifa-world-cup-2026-qualifiers-cristiano-ronaldo-sent-off-as-ireland-defeat-portugal-by-2-0-23603184" rel="nofollow">World Cup</a> 2026.
"For example Cape Verde, which has a population of just half a million people, is going to the World Cup. You have the highest population in the world and you don't go to the World Cup? This cannot be," said the former footballer.
Matthaus also said that the federation, government, clubs and academics of the country need to have a common goal to taste success in football, like how India has found success in other sports such as <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/ind-vs-sa-tests-team-india-skipper-shubman-gill-discharged-from-hospital-23603558" rel="nofollow">cricket</a>, hockey and chess.
"You have to find a system which will involve the football federation, the Government, the clubs and the academies to work for a common goal like you have in cricket, hockey or chess where you have produced world champions," said the 64-year-old legend.
Matthaus admitted that Germany has lacked passion and camaraderie for a while now, given that the former World Cup winners were eliminated from the group stages in the last two editions of the competition.
"This is not what we expect from the national team," he said, adding, "lack of passion and camaraderie, as the reasons behind their ordinary show".
"We need the passion that was our plus factor in the 80s. We used to play with passion and love. We were playing together and this is what I am missing now in the German team. But this is a job for the coach. And when the coach can bring this team together like maybe the way we used to be 10, 15 or 30 years ago, <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/nick-woltemades-brace-lifts-germany-past-luxembourg-2-0-keeps-world-cup-qualification-hopes-alive-23603445" rel="nofollow">Germany</a> can again be the team to be in the circle of the favourites," concluded Matthaus.
(With PTI Inputs)

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