'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Kerala Blasters head coach, Terry Phelan recently shared his thoughts about the current state of Indian football. He also touched upon the major aspects on which the nation, which has often been referred to as the 'sleeping giant of world football', has to work to reach greater heights.
Speaking to NDTV, the 56-year-old, who represented the Republic of Ireland at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA, opened up by saying:
"We see everyone talking about playing in the World Cup. That takes time. It costs money, takes time and resources. It will take years and years to build. There is a push from private entities as well as the AIFF to improve coaches and if coaches are better, then the players will be better. I think it will happen with Indian football but they need to be aggressive with it and decide how can we take it to the next level."
The former left-back, who played for several English clubs in his professional career including Premier League giants Manchester City, Chelsea and Everton, further added that India has to come up with a comprehensive, futuristic approach, starting with the grassroots level. He stated:
"It also needs to be a long-term project and include all major and grassroot clubs. It needs to be a big shift and maybe then we can awaken the sleeping giant but it is not easy to awaken a sleeping giant because if the national team is not winning games, people lose interest and that is not good."
Phelan was appointed as the head coach of Kerala Blasters FC during the second edition of the ISL in 2015, replacing Trevor Morgan who departed mid-season.
"We have built a football club from scratch and we are self-sufficient" - Terry Phelan
Terry Phelan is serving as the Technical Director of Bengaluru-based South United FC since August 2019, a club that currently competes in the Banglore Super Division. On his experience, he said:
"We have built a football club from scratch and we are self-sufficient. In Bengaluru, we have a wonderful set-up that helps the players. We also have a long-term vision where we want to add to the AIFF ecosystem. We are always looking to grow to Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and even Mumbai."
Meanwhile, the Indian Men's National Football Team recently had a forgettable 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaign, where they lost all of their three group-stage matches against Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria. Igor Stimac's men will be hoping to bounce back stronger when they take on Afghanistan in the two second-round matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier next month.
