⚽️ HT Kick Off: A tale of two coaches
In this issue, Dhiman talks about why the India men's head coach's job can feel like a poisoned chalice and yet has no dearth of takers.
Manolo Marquez and Luciano Spalletti knew they were not staying beyond this week’s engagements. Spalletti had wanted to after the 0-3 defeat to Norway but was not allowed by the Italian federation which, bizarrely, after sacking him, let him continue against Moldova and finish on a winning note.
Marquez could not though it cannot yet be said he is a former India coach because the formalities of the separation have not been completed. Unlike Spalletti, he had had enough. It is not known when, if at all, given that there is talk of a non-disclosure agreement, India will get to know why. “It is not the moment to speak about this,” Marquez said after the defeat in Hong Kong when asked if would continue. The Spaniard not denying he would leave — HT had reported the possibility on May 6 — is crucial but that is only half the story.
Underwhelming stints
The away win against France, and a quarter-final in the Nations League notwithstanding, Spalletti’s time with Italy (11 wins in 23 matches) was underwhelming. It was worse for Marquez. He had one win from eight matches. It was the inability to win against Mauritius, Bangladesh and Hong Kong, all ranked significantly lower than India, that rankled. Successful with Hyderabad FC and FC Goa and having forged a reputation for improving Indian players, Marquez’s first stint as a national team head coach will be a blot on his career.
Spalletti has explained why he could not succeed. “It's the coach who has to make the difference and unfortunately I wasn't able to do that," he said two seasons after inspiring Napoli to the Serie A, the club’s first since Diego Maradona pulled their shirt. Known to say it like he thinks it is, it would be nice to know what Marquez thinks about why it did not work. Was it inexperience? Injuries? Did AIFF back him?
Sandesh Jhingan has apologised but the end-of-season gloom has been felt with Bhaichung Bhutia again asking for AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey’s resignation “because he has destroyed Indian football”. The pundit Joe Morrison and Parth Jindal hit out on X and Ravi Puskur, the CEO of FC Goa, said the system was "rotten in ways we refuse to admit" while claiming that rising players’ salaries have stopped them from growing.
The players’ salaries issue
Puskur’s comment on the deleterious effect of money shows how little has changed. When Vijay Mallya invested in Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, and this was last century, the infrastructure didn’t improve and there was nothing significant by way of youth development but liquor money immediately sparked a big uptick in players’ salaries. Kolkata’s Big Two justified it just like how ISL clubs now are.
The bubble bursting in China and the growing problem of inequality among clubs in Europe — Brescia, a 114-year-old club which spent 23 seasons in Serie A and where Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Altobelli, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni and Pep Guardiola have played, have gone bankrupt – show that the problem is not unique to India. So what, the way of Saudi Arabia and Qatar? What happens if their governments decide to pull the plug?
Spalletti had to supervise a transition, not so much Marquez barring the going and coming of Sunil Chhetri and a change in goalkeepers. After the 2021 Euro triumph. Italy had no Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Jorginho and Federico Chiesa’s playing time had reduced, Sandro Tonali was banned and players had moved to Canada and Qatar.
“We certainly are not leaving my successor a sense of enthusiasm…,” said Spalletti. Add a short season, a small players’ pool and crucial roles in ISL teams being taken up by foreign players (strikers, central defenders, creative midfielders) to everything mentioned above, you can say that about India too.
Poisoned chalice?
It makes the position somewhat of a poisoned chalice. Since 2000 most full time foreign coaches have not worked after their India job. Yet, the lure of leading a national team often proves too hard to resist. There will never be a dearth of coaches, a former All India Football Federation secretary had told me. “I get CVs all the time.”
Four years in India and after having seen the sport from inside, Marquez thought he could make a difference. His replacement will too but unless India change the fundamentals (longer season across the country for seniors and age-specific leagues, youth development that goes beyond ticking boxes and getting more boys and girls to play), progress like, say, Uzbekistan is impossible. They won the Asian Games gold in 1994 and are now in the World Cup.
India hired their Asian Games winning coach Rustam Akramov in 1995 but it was no surprise that he could achieve little. No manager can. At best, they can get a few good results which will take India back to the late 90s in FIFA rankings and then the slide will follow. Sport is full of surprises but this is a pattern that has been repeated often enough.
Play of the week
In other news
Coach quits after Lewandowski’s boycott: Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has said he would not play for his national team Poland so long as coach Michal Probierz remained in charge, reports AFP. The 36-year-old has played 158 times for Poland, scoring 85 goals, but was replaced as captain by Piotr Zielinski. “Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge," Lewandowski said on X. His decision and Poland's embarrassing 1-2 defeat to Finland led to Probierz stepping down on Thursday.
Postecoglu, Vilahamn fired: Tottenham Hotspur fired men’s and women’s team head coaches Ange Postecoglu and Robert Vilahamn for poor results, report AP and Reuters. “It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts… a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond,” the club said on Postecoglu who won the Europa League but finished 17th in Premier League. Spurs skipper Son Heung-min showed what he thought about the decision, saying on social media, “Gaffer. You've changed the trajectory of this club. You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did.” Vilahamn was sacked after the ladies finished 11th, one spot above relegation zone like the men’s team.
Punjab FC keep faith in Dilmperis: Punjab FC announced the contract extension of head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis until 2027, the club said in a media release. Assistant-coach Konstantinos Katsaras and strength and conditioning Coach Papaioannou Ioannis will also continue. Sankarlal Chakraborty will remain assistant coach of the team for the next season, the club has said.
From Liverpool to City: Two coaches who have been key to Liverpool's success in recent years have joined Pep Guardiola's backroom staff at Manchester City, reports AP. Pepijn Lijnders, who was the long-time No. 2 to Juergen Klopp at Liverpool, will take over as City's assistant manager. James French comes in as new set-piece coach, ending his 13-year stay at Anfield during which time he worked as the opposition analyst.
First Black ref in Premier League dead: Uriah Rennie, the first Black referee in the Premier League, has died. He was 65, reports AP. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former chair and trailblazing referee, Uriah Rennie," the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association posted Sunday on X. "Uriah made history as the Premier League's first Black referee, officiating over 300 top-flight matches between 1997 and 2008," the statement said. "He broke down barriers, shaped our football community and inspired generations to come."
Chivu at Inter: Inter Milan have chosen Cristian Chivu to lead the Serie A club into a new era, confirming the former Romania defender as Simone Inzaghi's replacement ahead of the Club World Cup, reports AP. “Inter Milan is pleased to welcome Cristian Chivu as the new head coach of the first team. The coach has signed a contract with Inter until 30 June 2027,” Inter said in a statement. Chivu, who played in Inter’s treble season of 2009-10, has reportedly agreed a two-year contract with Inter worth €2.5 million euros a season.
Iconic moment
Gaza hurts me all over: Pep
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged people not to ignore the suffering in Gaza amid Israel’s military campaign and longstanding blockade of the territory.
“It's so painful, what we see in Gaza. It hurts me all (over) my body,” he said in a speech at the University of Manchester, where he was given an honorary degree on Monday, reports AP. “It's not about ideology. It's not about, I'm right or you're wrong. Come on. It is just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour….I see my kids, Maria, Marius and Valentina. When I see every morning since the nightmare started the infants in Gaza, and I'm so scared.”
Also read
The Paris imprint on Portugal’s triumph
2026 World Cup and a whole lot of uncertainty
They said it
That’s all for this week. As always, I look forward to your feedback. You can either write to me at dhiman@htlive.com, or reply to this mail.