Stephen Constantine interested in return to India as coach, if approached

The Englishman also reflected on his time at the helm of the national team.

Englishman Stephen Constantine is a known name amongst the Indian football fanatics. His stints with the Indian national team (2002-05 and 2015-19) are quite memorable, for reasons good and bad. The sport in the country did make considerable progress after the team reached the top 100 in the FIFA rankings. Constantine also led the team to their seventh SAFF Championship title. The coach resigned in 2019, after suffering an unlucky exit in the AFC Asian Cup group stage.

In a recent Q&A on his Twitter handle, he had an interesting conversation with fans. Here are some of the excerpts from the same:

On his blemished image

When a fan expressed his apologies for misunderstanding the erstwhile national team coach, Constantine accepted it gracefully. “My only agenda was to help Indian football,” noted the English coach, when commenting on his rifts with others during his tenure.

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Speaking out against the foreigners rule in ISL

While he was still the coach of the Indian team, he had spoken out regarding the seven foreigners' rule in the Indian Super League. His reasoning was that Indian players were not being given the chance to showcase their talents. “So, when I see some people taking advantage of the beautiful game in India I have a problem and I say so,” Constantine firmly stated on this matter.

On PIOs (Player of Indian Origin) representing the national team

One of the questions asked in the interactive session posed the matter of PIOs in Indian football. The inquiry was into whether the ex-coach had approached the Indian lawmakers with this proposition and if yes, what were the results. “Sadly, it didn't happen. I can't say why exactly,” Constantine replied.

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On the same thread, one of the people pointed out the complexity of the constitutional processes, a reason behind the failure of Constantine’s proposition. The 59-year-old agreed to the comment. “The bigger picture for me was and still is that we really need to help our Indian coaches in there development, sadly that is not happening as much as it should,” he lamented.

On coming back to India as a coach

One of the people asked the most obvious question to him: if he would come back to the country as an ISL coach? Although short and sweet, Constantine’s answer could be music to a lot of ears. “I would be interested to come if the right opportunity presents itself,” the experienced coach hinted.

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