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In truth, even Arthur Papas would not have expected to make any headlines when he first arrived in India back in May 2012, because he was originally brought on the advice of AIFF technical director Rob Baan to be the head coach of Navi Mumbai’s AIFF-FIFA Regional Academy.
Since he would have been in charge of a group of U-14 players, he was unlikely to come under any media scrutiny. But call it luck or destiny, instead of overseeing the training sessions of some budding kids, Papas was appointed India’s coach at the Under-22 Asian Cup qualifiers, and then Pailan Arrows head coach, following Dutchman Raymond Libregts’ refusal to take up that dual role.
Drawn in a group that had hosts Oman, UAE, Iraq, Turkmenistan and Lebanon, the young Indian team narrowly missed out on qualification after managing wins over Turkmenistan and Lebanon and a 1-1 draw with UAE.
But more than the results, what stood out was the team’s style of play and character, and a large portion of that must be credited to Papas. The Aussie got rid of the inferiority complex in the dressing room, and got the best out of a number of talented youngsters. He got them to believe that positive results were possible against every opposition, and that attitude nearly saw Papas perform the miracle of qualifying for the final rounds.
It was a near miss, but the development of the majority of that group continued under Papas at Pailan Arrows. The developmental side took 24 games to get their first win in a dismal 2011-12 I-League campaign, but they got their first victory of the current season in the very first match against Mumbai FC.
The AIFF’s developmental side were, in fact, unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions under Papas, and more importantly, saw their style of play have a purpose, unlike in the 2011-12 season.
Over the course of the season, the Arrows may not have found the consistency they desired, but the development has been vast, and the 2-0 win over defending champions Dempo last week was proof of that.
Papas has proved his coaching credentials in nine months, and has been instrumental in the development of players like Shouvik Ghosh, Pritam Kotal, Pranay Haldar, Milan Singh, and Alwyn George, to name a few. As a result, the Australian has been reportedly targeted by four I-League clubs for next season, especially after Papas hinted that he could leave Arrows at the end of the season.
However, the AIFF are also keen on giving him a role in India’s age-group teams and wants him to work closely with Baan. Being a professional, Papas has every right to consider the offers from the I-League clubs and might very well accept one of them as well, but the Indian FA must make the right offer to ensure the Aussie keeps working with the national team.
The group that Papas has worked with at India U-22 and Pailan Arrows is the future of the Indian national team, and thus Papas should be given a contract that allows him to work with that group for a couple of years more at least at the India U-23 setup.
The U-23 side would taking part in the 2014 Asian Games and 2016 Olympics qualifiers, and if Papas manages to get the results, he should even be a candidate for the senior team job in the future, because we have seen how coaches who work with a young group can get the best out of them a few years later, like in the case of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
A short-term deal would be an insult to Papas’ talent and would surely see him take up one of the I-League offers as that would make more sense both professionally and financially for the 33-year old. But a long-term contract would certainly make Papas consider AIFF’s offer seriously, as then he would have the time and backing to implement his coaching methods further into the India U-23 setup.
In the recent past, the AIFF controversially parted ways with Bob Houghton at a time when his policy was starting to pay dividends and then refused to give Armando Colaco a long-term contract which he was looking for to impart a certain style of play in the national team and bring the success that he had at club level with Dempo.
The Indian FA cannot repeat the same mistake with Papas, or else the Aussie would possibly be in charge of an I-League club next season and the national team will be deprived of another top coach.
