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What's the story?
A technical committee meeting will be conducted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday with an agenda to decide on the future of India’s National Team coach Stephen Constantine. Scheduled to be held on February 7, the committee will be led by former Indian international Shyam Thapa with “Contract of Coaches” being the highlight of the meeting.
A source told Sportskeeda, "Stephen's contract comes to an end in March. He will be with us until the Kyrgyz Republic match. After that, the technical committee will meet over a new deal."
He further added that the Englishman has done brilliantly for India so far, and despite the media reports, his performance will be the main criteria.
In case you didn't know...
Stephen Constantine took Indian football to great heights in the past one and a half years. The ‘Blue Tigers’ were unbeaten the whole of last year and also made a cut to the top 100 of the FIFA rankings for the first time in two decades. It was under his regime that India played exceptionally well at the International stage and also qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The heart of the matter
According to various reports, AIFF general secretary Kushal Das feels that technically they have no reason not to renew Stephen’s contract as he has given his best. His contribution to Indian football is comparable to no other coach in the past.
But, the main reason for reconsidering his stay at the helm of affairs is because some players are having a problem with the technical side of his coaching. It has been learnt that with the AFC Asian Cup coming up, the players want a coach who is technically better.
What's next?
When Stephen Constantine took the charge of the Indian team, they were ranked below 150, but within a span of 1 year, they showed a vast improvement. The Sunil Chhetri-led team is currently ranked 105th in the world, which is an enormous achievement considering the trend of Indian football in the 21st century before 2017. Hopefully, Stephen can continue the good work!
Author's take
After a long time, India football is hogging the limelight, thanks to the performance of the National team and also the inception of the Indian Super League and also the hosting of the Under-17 FIFA World Cup. To maintain the steep rise of the sport in our country, the AIFF has to satisfy the interests of everyone related to the game. They should act responsibly to solve the matter and continue the smooth flow Indian Football.
