Interview with I-League’s most successful coach Armando Colaco on his 60th birthday: “No retirement plans just yet”

Armando Colaco spent almost a quarter of his lifetime being the head coach of Dempo Sports Club and established the Goan club as the most successful team in the Indian domestic league, winning five league titles in 13 seasons. He also took the Panjim-based club to the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, something which no other Indian club has done yet.

The former Dempo player, who also coached Churchill Brothers and the Indian national team, ended his association with Dempo, where he also served as the general secretary, last month.

The legendary coach turned 60 on Saturday but still has no plans of retiring just yet. Sportskeeda caught up with Armando on his birthday for an exclusive chat.

Excerpts:

How much has your life changed since the end of your tenure at Dempo?

Everything in life comes to an end. I had a good era at Dempo and I am proud of my achievements there. You can’t go on forever so it eventually ended but the most important thing now is that I am spending a lot of quality time with my family and being able to look after my health better.

Did you leave behind any unfinished business at Dempo?

I wanted to win another league title. Last time when we won, I requested the chairman to keep the same team as I was hoping for one more league success but that didn’t happen due to certain circumstances especially injuries.

Any regrets about not winning the AFC Cup?

No, I have no regrets about the AFC Cup as it is such a tough tournament to win. We somehow managed to reach the semis there and even played in the Champions League playoffs and that was one of the proudest moments. We only narrowly lost to Al Sadd (Qatar) and later that year they went on to become the third best team of the world. So looking back, I think we did a good job there.

But you reached the semi-finals in 2008, so do you think with more investments and by retaining the key players it would have been possible to win the competition?

Every year it changes and every season there are new challenges. See, for a long time we managed to keep the same squad together but slowly one by one they started leaving so it became difficult and the average age (of the squad) also started to become a factor. This year is a transition period and I wish the new coach and the current squad all the very best.

Armando Colaco has made Dempo the most successful I-League club

How do you look back to your stint as the India’s head coach?

Although it was four months, it was a great and interesting experience. Players gave everything for me. I wanted a longer stint but unfortunately that didn’t happen and maybe in future I will get another chance.

Do you think Indian football has progressed in the last 13 years?

Where are the academies? Where is the coach education? Everyone wants us to play in the World Cup. But the way it’s going we will only play the World Cup if we host it. All the money should be used in youth development and grassroots programme otherwise Indian football will never improve.

You are the president of the Goa Football Coaches’ Association, which was formed last year. What is its current status?

Our body has been recognised by Societies Registration Act and now we will write to SAG (Sports Auhority of Goa) and GFA (Goa Football Association) to do the same. We want to bring more foreign coaches and educate our coaches. We want to improve the standard of coaching in Goa first and maybe then we can look to have a similar body on an all India basis.

Indian league winning coaches like Subhash Bhowmick and Subrata Bhattacharya are without a club now as they don’t have a license. Should they be given honorary coaching degrees just like it was in England? (where coaches with at least ten years coaching experience were awarded a FA Coaching Diploma)

Look at the achievements of Subhash Bhowmick, Subrata Bhattacharya and even Sukhwinder Singh. Then there is Bimal Ghosh also who had been grooming players at Air India for years. None of them have a license but AIFF should consider the workload that they have put in. So something has to be done, even if it’s an honorary position. Certificates are also important but practically also they have coached and given so much to Indian football.

Armando feels coaches like Subhash Bhowmick should be given honorary coaching degrees

You won five league titles at a single club, staying there for 13 years. Do you think any coach in India will ever be able to last that long in one club and achieve the same success?

It will be very difficult because the mentality of players has changed now as each one is for themselves. Even a substitution is questioned regularly nowadays. Somehow I managed it because I had the full support of Mr. Dempo and worked very hard for him.

Any regrets regarding the controversy with Rohan Ricketts?

I don’t want to talk much about the controversy. He was a player of class and if he had remained we probably would have won the title but the management had taken a decision as you cannot compromise on discipline.

Your thoughts on the proposed IPL-style football tournament?

How will football develop if retired players are playing? Same money should instead be spent on youth development, grassroots activities and coach education. It’s true many people will come to the stadiums but they should also get the famous players to give lectures and talk to our coaches and players.

Would you be open to coaching a team in that tournament?

I will get paid for coaching but how will it develop Indian football? That is still not clear to me. If they are seeing it as an experiment its fine but will FIFA allow? There are lot of complications like transfer and loan windows. In cricket it’s successful because there are only eight countries playing and there is no transfer window.

What if everything is cleared by FIFA and the event goes ahead, then will you be willing to coach one of the teams?

Yes why not! If they call me, I am always open to coaching.

Winning the Dronancharya remains your dream now?

Winning that will be my greatest achievement. So far only one football coach has got it (Syed Nayeemuddin). Many times my name has gone and last year as there were Olympic medal winning coaches, I couldn’t win. This time also I believe I have been nominated and it will be a dream come true if I win it.

Ranti Martins (left) and Beto were key figures in Armando’s tenure at Dempo

If you are asked to list the top five foreigners and Indian players that you have coached, what would be your response?

Foreigners: Phillip Mensah, Edward Ansah, Osamanu Hussaini, Beto and Ranti Martins. Indians: Climax Lawrence, Clifford Miranda, Roy Barreto, Mario Soares, Mahesh Gawli (no particular order).

You didn’t include the late Cristiano Junior in your list?

Cristiano will always have a special place in my life. He changed my life completely and I will not keep him with anyone else because he is the most special player I have coached. You know the 2004 Federation Cup final has given me the happiest and saddest moments of my career as Cristiano got us the trophy but then we also lost him forever. However his words of inspiration always remained with us and later that season we regrouped and won the national league title for him.

Your toughest competitor among coaches?

Has to be all those great coaches from Bengal but believe me it is quite difficult to pick one. There was Subhash, Subrata and even Manoranjan (Bhattacharya), who was also a great player. I am happy to have changed the whole equation because until Dempo won their first title, Bengal was the dominant force but our success later saw Goa become the best with Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers also winning.

Finally, what next for I-League’s most successful coach? Will you be retiring anytime soon?

No I have no retirement plans just yet. I believe I still have another two to three years or maybe even five years. I have only retired from Dempo Sports Club.

So we can still expect to see you at an I-League club in the coming season?

If the right offer comes, then definitely. I brought success at Dempo because I had the full support from my boss and had complete freedom to do my work. If I get a similar opportunity, I will definitely consider it.

“Have only retired from Dempo”

So you haven’t received any such offer yet?

There were offers from East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting and even JSW had asked me first but all that happened while I was still at Dempo and I told them that I won’t be talking to any club while I am still on contract with Dempo. So nothing about my future has been decided yet but I am certainly not retiring.