Dec 17: Dempo’s coach Armando Colaco went berserk over the nation’s premier soccer body’s decision of permitting top clubs’ of the country to have the services of four foreigners for the ongoing ONGC I-League. Colaco considered it as a backward step for the Indian football.
Colaco strongly condemned the induction of an additional foreigner by raising a question that How come Indian football will be benefitted with this new assistance provided to the country’s top clubs?
“As far I am concerned, it is surely a backward step in the development of Indian football,” Colaco said after his team played a goalless draw against JCT in the capital’s Ambedkar stadium during the sixth round I-League match here on Sunday.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has allowed clubs to recruit four foreign players for the ongoing I-League, in addition to previous three of the last editions of the National Football League, with the condition being the same to field only three foreigners in a single match.
“AIFF was earlier thinking of reducing the limit of foreign players to two till few days back, but now they increased it to four. I am bit surprised with their decision of increasing the number of foreigners in the I-League,” said Colaco.
This decision is certainly a major hindrance in bringing up the indigenous talent of the country. Colaco even feels that by mere increasing the number of foreigners will not going to help the cause of Indian football.
“If we want to really develop and improve the standard of Indian football then we have to come up with a grass–root level programme,” opined Colaco.
“Dempo didn’t opt for fourth foreigner and it’s not that we don’t have money, we have got enough money but I think instead of recruiting another foreigner, it would be better to give a chance to my local Goan player,” said Colaco.
There stands no logic in allowing recruitment of four foreigners when you can field only three out of them at one time in a single match.
What’s the use of an extra foreign player when you will have to sit him out on the bench then why not our own player, who will gain experience and would reap benefits for the club, as well as for the country in near future.
Colaco also cited an example that what will happen, if JCT recruits another fine foreign striker who is much better than India’s star striker Sunil Chetri, you will find your country’s finest striker cooling his heels at the bench.
When Colaco was asked that it must have been clubs’ who raised this issue, which was later endorsed by AIFF, he instantly replied, “The point was raised by Churchill Brothers in the I-League seminar and seconded by Mohun Bagan and apart from that no other club was in the favour of this introduction.”
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