| Waving the flag  Can Khalid Jamil get ISL clubs to trust Indian coaches? ( Source: HT ) In big, bold letters on a chart paper, the word “Believe” was pasted on the wall between the changing room and the one where coaches chewed cud at AFC Richmond for most of the first three seasons of “Ted Lasso”. Khalid Jamil is as different from the Kansan football coach of the eponymous series as loquacious is from reserved but connecting reel and real, fact and fiction, is the ability of both to get their teams to internalise the seven-letter word. Like Lasso getting Richmond “unrelegated”, Jamil got Pronay Halder to slot in at centre-back and managed to get another season from 35-year-olds Javi Hernandez and Pratik Chaudhari, Ashutosh Mehta, who is 34 and returned to professional football after serving a two-year ban, and Albino Gomes who had to work his way back through I-League after injury. As he has got Reliance Foundation Young Champs product Mohammed Sanan who is 20. Even before Thursday's smash and grab, Jamil had shown that he has the nous and man management skill to belong at this level. You could even say there was a bit of Jamil in how Bengaluru FC choked FC Goa in the middle on Wednesday . A rare thing A head coach or manager from USA in the Premier League is as rare as an Indian helming a team in the Indian Super League (ISL). Bob Bradley lasted 11 games at Swansea City, Jesse Marsch 32 at Leeds United with David Wagner’s 62-game stint at Huddersfield Town the longest among those from across the pond, as per Transfermarkt. The first Indian head coach in ISL, Jamil is in a club of one when it comes to making the ISL play-offs. He has done it twice. Jamil and Thangboi Singto were the only Indian head coaches at the start of ISL11. “Aap nazar mat lagana,” Jamil had said drily at the pre-season media day in Kolkata. Kerala Blasters got TG Purushothaman, Mohammedan Sporting had Mehrajuddin Wadoo, and East Bengal Bino George to manage teams but only after foreign coaches had left or had been asked to leave. Hyderabad FC replaced Singto with Shameel Chembakath.  Jamshedpur FC coach Khalid Jamil at work. ( Source: HT ) The support staff situation One of the reasons why clubs would baulk at the idea of appointing Indian head coaches was their inability to get support staff. This was pointed out in 2022 in HT . But that was then. Jamil has assembled an all-Indian support staff at Jamshedpur FC and taken them to the semi-finals. Last year, I was speaking to Ishfaq Ahmed and the Real Kashmir coach told me he too is confident of assembling his own staff. When I asked Mukul Choudhari, CEO Jamshedpur FC, about this in an interview where Jamil was also present, this is what I was told. “Now, there will be a lot of self-belief in many other teams and many other Indian support staff. So, this will open doors. While the intention was not that, the by-product is that.” Which means now clubs can look at Indian coaches, especially the ones who have recently completed their AFC Pro Licence diplomas. India has 46 of them, 26 having earned badges in the last two years. Every time Jamil takes a team deep into ISL, he waves the flag for compatriots Steven Dais, Renedy Singh, Ahmed and Clifford Miranda. If more clubs trust Indian coaches, one of them may take charge of the national team someday. You can read more about Jamil here and here . |
| IN OTHER NEWS Olsson pauses career: Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson has mutually agreed to terminate his contract with FC Midtjylland, a little over a year after being diagnosed with an acute brain condition, says AP. The 29-year-old Olsson has been rehabilitating after losing consciousness at his home on February 20 last year and being diagnosed with several small blood clots in the brain as a result of an extremely rare blood-vessel inflammation. Midtjylland said the midfielder is returning to Norrköping in Sweden, where he will be close to his family and he can “pursue the ambition of returning to life as a footballer. He has shown us all what courage means in practice,” said deputy football director Kristian Bach Bak. India slip, Bangladesh rise: Rankings are a big lie, Manolo Marquez has said and in the context of what he said, the India head coach may be right. But it will not make for a happy reading that India’s men’s team have slipped one slot, to 127th in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday. Their opponents in the last match, Bangladesh, have risen two slots to 183 after the 0-0 draw in Shillong. Court stays AIFF secy appointment: The Delhi High Court has stayed the appointment of Anilkumar Prabhakaran as the secretary-general of All India Football Federation (AIFF) on a plea alleging his selection was in violation of the National Sports Code, reports PTI. Justice Sachin Datta said he would continue with the arguments next week. The court, while hearing a plea filed by Delhi Football Club director Ranjit Bajaj, observed there ought to be a stay on Prabhakaran’s appointment in the meantime. “We will continue with the hearing next week but in the meantime there has to be a stay. I will pass an interim stay (order). List on April 8 for further arguments in the matter,” the judge said. Appearing for Bajaj, senior advocate Rahul Mehra and lawyer Shivam Singh sought Prabhakaran’s removal as he was previously elected as a member of the AIFF executive committee. The AIFF appointed Prabhakaran, who hails from Kerala, as its secretary general July last. “I’ll be back”: Holding crutches and wearing a protective boot, Erling Haaland has vowed, “I'll be back.” The Manchester City striker is expected to be sidelined for up to seven weeks with an ankle injury sustained Sunday in a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-finals, reports AP. Haaland has posted a photo of himself on his social media accounts with the Arnold Schwarzenegger-style message. The post included a flexed biceps emoji.  Erling Haaland vows to return stronger after the ankle injury ( Source: Instagram ) Pradhyum Reddy’s ‘Super’ idea: As pundit, coach and CEO of Dempo, there is no questioning Pradhyum Reddy’s understanding of football in India. On April 1, one day before Arminia Bielefeld rose from the third tier of German football to their first German Cup final beating Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, Reddy provided an “out of the box” solution on X as to how the Super Cup can be made “relevant”. His suggestion: make it an all-Indian affair. It will show how much gap there really in between ISL and I-League teams, he said. Jamal Bhuyan had, in response to a question I asked in Shillong, said there wasn’t much difference in the ability of Bangladeshi and Indian players . The 0-0 draw was proof and should this be taken forward, it could stop agents from overpricing their clients, according to Reddy. Given how AIFF conducts Super Cup, Reddy’s ideas are worth exploring. Berta at Arsenal: Arsenal have confirmed the appointment of Andrea Berta as the club's new sporting director with the Italian having established a strong reputation after spending 12 years at Atletico Madrid in a similar role, reports AP. The 53-year-old Berta succeeds Edu — a former midfielder for Arsenal and Brazil — in a position that has been vacant since November. Berta, who has a background in banking, held roles with Italian teams Parma and Genoa before joining Atletico in 2013, initially as technical director. He left in January. During his time with the Diego Simeone-managed club, the team won two LaLiga titles, the Copa del Rey and Europa League, as well as the UEFA Super Cup. Among the best signings made by Atletico during Berta's tenure are Jan Oblak and Antoine Griezmann. 155% growth: There are clubs that lose money, most of them around the world, and there is Wrexham. In their first year back in the English Football League (EFL), Wrexham’s revenue has jumped 155% from the previous year to $34.5 million, according to a Reuters report. Co-owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Wrexham’s annual report showed that 52.1% of the revenue was generated from outside the UK, primarily North America, up from 24.6% in 2023. This was partly due to the success of the “Welcome to Wrexham” TV documentary. .png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60) Wrexham's revenue skyrockets 155%, reaching $34.5M in their first EFL year, fuelled by global success and 'Welcome to Wrexham' ( Source: Goal ) Brazil coach fired: Brazil coach Dorival Júnior, 62, has been fired after 14 months amid poor results and disappointing performances from the national team, says AP. Júnior's sacking by Brazilian football confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues came three days after a 1-4 defeat to bitter rival Argentina in Buenos Aires, Brazil's heaviest in a World Cup qualifier. “The confederation announces that Dorival Júnior's cycle is over,” Rodrigues told the media in Rio de Janeiro. Under Júnior, Brazil won seven matches, drew another seven, and lost two. But they have won only one of their last four games. Ban on Messi’s bodyguard: Lionel Messi's bodyguard Yassine Cheuko has been banned from protecting the Argentine forward from the touchline during Inter Miami matches, reports Reuters. The former Navy SEAL gained widespread recognition after social media videos showed him closely watching the crowd to stop potential pitch invaders from harming the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. Major League Soccer has now decided to take full control of matchday security and Cheuko will only be permitted in the locker room and mixed zones. “I was in Europe for seven years, working for Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and only six people invaded the pitch. I came to the USA and in just 20 months 16 people have already done so. There's a huge problem here, let me help Messi," he told Spanish media.  Messi's bodyguard has been banned from touchline duties by MLS. ( Source: Instagram ) Mourinho’s “nose” job: Jose Mourinho appeared to pinch the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk after his Fenerbahce team were knocked out of the Turkish Cup in a fiery match on Wednesday, reports AP. In footage widely shared on social media , Mourinho appears to reach out from behind his opponent and make contact with his nose. Buruk then falls to the ground holding his face before Mourinho is escorted away. Three players were sent off in the Istanbul derby at Fenerbahce's stadium. Galatasary won 2-1. “He squeezed my nose from behind while I was going on. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it's not a very nice and stylish thing,” said Buruk. Reprieve for Alves: Dani Alves has won his appeal against a sexual assault conviction as a Spanish court overturned the ruling Friday, reports AP. Alves was found guilty in February 2024 of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022 and sentenced to four years, six months in prison. The former Brazil and Barcelona defender denied wrongdoing during the three-day trial. That court ruled that there was “insufficient evidence” to rule out Alves' presumption of innocence. |
