‘Once people discover the charm of fast bowling, a trend
develops’
Looking to resuscitate Indian soccer from its predicament,
the national governing body -- AIFF -- decided to change its
guard in the team management in September. A coach hunt ended
with Syed Nayeemuddin returning to the helm of the country's
soccer as the national coach. Faced with this challenge, Nayeeuddin
spoke at length to TWF correspondent Kushal Chakraborty on
various issues concerning coaching.…
Syed Nayeeduddin is one of the best defenders the country
has ever seen. It was under his leadership the country won
the Asian Games bronze in 1970. That was the last creditable
finishing by the country's football in the continental games.
The three decades since then have marked the degeneration
of the sport to its present state except for the glimpses
of a resurrection in 2002 August when the squad conquered
host Vietnam in the final to lift the glittering LG Cup under
the guidance of coach Stephen Constantine. Indian football,
lolling at 134th place in the world hierarchy, stands emaciated
and exposed to ravages even at the hands of its immediate
neighbours like Pakistan and Maldives. Though Nayeem had been
the national coach in 1998 this time the challenges are much
steep. He now has the task of getting the sub-continental
leadership back for the country with the SAFF Cup tournament
scheduled in the second week of December.
What are your experiences as a player, especially in Kolkata
where you touched the peak of your career?
I tried my best to get nearest to perfection. But despite
that there were shortcomings. We were missing so many things.
I now feel that as players we did not heed the words of our
`gurus' (mentors) in true spirit. If we had done that we would
have been much better players. My gurus, Rahim Sahab (Syed
Abdul Rahim) and J. C. Ghua Sahab, have played a great role
in shaping up my career. I miss their guidance now.
What is your opinion about the present day players?
There is talent but I find devotion to the sport lacking in
the modern day footballers. I think the role of the media,
especially some journalists, has come up as a deterrent. They
are spoiling the players with unnecessary hype and criticism.
There is a saying 'you are born great but the society makes
you worse.' Even some officials at different levels of the
administration are inciting indiscipline. Hardly anyone tells
the players that `the coach is your real teacher, your Gurudev.'
In our days coaches like Rahim Sahab, Bagaha Da (Bagha Shome)
were ruthless about discipline. They would at times thrash
a player to make work hard, practise hard. The mentality of
the players has under gone a sea change. Take the example
of great P.K. Banerjee. He would practise for hours on end
to perfect his shots. Jarnail Singh used to say it is better
to practise in a ploughed field. He felt that such practice
methods sharpened the reflexes of a player as the ball would
behave oddly on an uneven surface. Now, if you make the players
run an extra mile they will complain to the officials about
cruelty and get the coach sacked.
Why do you insist on implementing discipline rigorously?
Discipline is the foundation of any training. That is quintessential
part of the learning process. Can you learn the language without
knowing the alphabets? The teams all over the world are very
strict about discipline. The players are professional there
and they do not complain as they are conscious about it. Football
is mostly about passing and receiving and to perfect this
art you need a disciplined training. The art of perfecting
it is discipline. All the big and famous coaches in the world
like Alex Ferguson or Gerrard Houlier are known disciplinarians.
If I insist on discipline, I am not going beyond coaching
ethics followed around the world. I have been to many places
in Europe and Asia and discipline is a major element of professionalism.
Football is a simple game. To succeed in a simple game you
have to do simple things very well through out the 90 minutes.
To succeed in a match you read the game and change some patterns
according to situations. This is what football is all about.
You started coaching big clubs becoming the coach of East
Bengal in 1989. Ever since then you have handled many assignments,
including the job of the national coach. How do you look back
at that?
I earned lot of honour and fame as a player. I wanted to give
back the new generations of players what I learnt as a footballer.
Teaching football is not that easy, playing is much easier.
All these years my efforts have to educate myself while teaching
and training the players. I want to learn more and visit many
more countries, like France, Italy, Spain or Germany, to get
trained on the newer techniques. It requires lot of money,
so I am buying lottery tickets hoping for windfall that will
ensure my trip. I want to start my own academy. I have been
to places around the world and I think with the knowledge
I have gained on coaching, my academy will be able to stand
on its own.
Can you please elaborate your plans about the academy?
I have big plan for a good academy. I have been working on
the blue print. But I have no money for that. I once approached
the Andhra Pradesh government some years back. Maybe I will
try that again. I want to go back to my home state (AP) and
start working on building the new generation players.
How do you think our players will be able to match the
international standards? Is it only technique?
Technique and skill are essential parts that come from practice.
But more than that, we need to work on the physique of the
players. Take the example of China and Japan. They have tackled
this problem through genetic science. We can also do that
in our country, which has advanced lot in the field of science
and technology. It will be not easy but we need to try. We
need robust players who have the right height-weight ratio.
Another aspect is introducing the sport in a systematic manner
at the school level. This will involve the parents, who will
look after the diet of their children from an early stage.
The developmental thrust should start from schools and then
work up through blocks, districts, state and then finally
to the national stage.
It can be said now that whenever a team at any level is
in distress, it looks for Syed Nayeemuddin. What do you say
about this?
I cannot specify any reason. I think the administrators always
have it in their minds that discipline is good for the players
and the team. I can mould the players and guide them properly.
My last assignment with Brothers Union in Bangladesh was a
success because I was given the independence to enforce discipline.
That team had German and Austrian coaches before. But once
the team became the league topper of the country, they said
I was better than the foreigners. The mayor of Dhaka, Mr.
Sadik Hussain Khoka, who is the patron of the club, wanted
me to stay back. That was a great honour for me as a coach
and teaching technique.
After being made the national coach, what kind of cooperation
are you expecting from the national federation?
I need more time and encouragement from the national federation.
I have already talked to them about my needs and they are
ready to give it now that they have money for development.
The AIFF will be giving performance related incentives to
the players and would be organizing more exposure trips. These
are very positive indications. I want the players to work
hard now. Apart from this, I would be happy if the AIFF organizes
international friendlies for players starting from the age
group of 16. I would also propose that the best two teams
of the age-group nationals starting from the junior stage
should be allowed to play in the bigger competitive tournaments
like Durand Cup, Rovers Cup or the IFA Shield. That will help
the boys stand up to the challenge more effectively.
Finally, who would you prefer to have as the technical director
of the team?
In the given circumstances, an Indian stalwart like P.K. Banerjee
is good. A player or a coach like him has a very good grasp
of the Indian conditions. Many former players and football
lovers have the same feeling. I think, the think-tank in the
national federation is competent enough and any decision on
the technical director will be taken with due consideration.
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