Interview - "We are really looking forward to the FIFA U-17 World Cup" - Raman Vijayan, Bangalore Selector, Bajaj-Allianz Junior Football Camp

Raman Vijayan, former India international, and current JFC selector

With season 5 of the Bajaj- Allianz Junior Football Camp upon us, we spoke to ex- India international and ace striker Raman Vijayan, who is a now a selector with the Junior Football Camp in Bangalore. The discussion was about the qualities they look for in the players, the selection process, and their outlook with the 2017 U-17 World Cup.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

1. What qualities do you think will be necessary for the players to win and qualify for the trip to Germany?

Apart from football skills, we look for strong mentality as an individual and as a team player in all our candidates.

2. Will you focus more on individual brilliance or a player’s ability to function as part of a team (keeping in mind the players' age)?

The focus at this stage is more on individual skills, as they can develop their ability to function within a team gradually. (age groups going till U-16)

3. How is your coaching designed - is it focused on the participant's skill enhancement or is it a model designed to select the best from the group?

We look at both those aspects, but our focus will be more towards individual skill since in these selections we try to emphasize more on individual performances,

4. Tell us about the difficulties in rejecting the candidates during the selection process.

The hardest part of our job is rejecting a player, but now a days kids are aware that this is the only way they can grow as a player.

5. How do you test for a player's temperament? And do you look to inculcate specific qualities based on a player's position?

Yes, we specifically test if the player knows about the responsibility of his own position. When we look at a players, we also observe how he handles different situations as a player.

6. What do you think are the focus areas with an eye on the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup?

We are really looking forward to the U-17 World Cup. There are talented kids in India but we need to focus more at the grassroots to help find the right talent. The talent also need to be nurtured well through more exposure campaigns like the Junior Football Camp that will help the kids to get acclimatised to international standards.