Indians deserve chance as national football head coach- Subrata Pal

The veteran shot-stopper also clarified that he is not against the appointment of a foreign coach.

One of India's finest goalkeepers in recent years, Subrata Pal has expressed his opinion on the Indian national football team coach selection. The veteran custodian feels that an Indian can do a good job if given the opportunity. He feels that a local coach can understand the players better and the move can work wonders for the nation in developing in the sport.

Pal believes that trusting local coaches can improve the grassroots level of football in the country. It can also build a strong feeder line of young footballers which will eventually make India more competitive in the world stage.

"Firstly, you have to have faith on Indian coaches. If we don't give them a chance how will they prove themselves? In a country of 130 crore people, there won't be at least ten good coaches, how is that possible?" he enquired while speaking to IANS.

The All India Football Federation set to hire a national team coach after Stephen Constantine stepped down following India's exit at the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year.

Over 250 applicants have reportedly submitted their resume for the Indian national team job which includes high profile names like Sam Allardyce, Sven Goran Eriksson, Raymond Domenech, Hakan Ericsson etc. While the All India Football Federation has shortlisted a selected amount of candidates to carry out the final selection. An AIFF official spoke to IANS that the Indian FA may not be able to cope up with the high salaries of some of the big names.

It is also rumoured that former Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca is currently the frontrunner for the coach, as he knows Indian football as a whole and shares a great bond with some of the national team players.

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But the former Indian numero uno, Subrata Pal feels that finding an ideal Indian coach shouldn't be a problem.

"There are several good coaches in India who have performed well in the domestic tournaments. Under Indian coaches, we have done well in SAFF tournaments," he said.

Pal, however, clarifies that he isn't against the appointment of a foreign coach. He feels that its time for an Indian to grab this opportunity and prove his worth.

"I am not against foreign coaches, but if Indian coaches are not given an opportunity how they will prove themselves?" he concluded.