Westwood for Constantine: Time for a new Team India football coach?

It would be utter madness to let Stephen Constantine’s contract run down in February 2017. It wouldn’t be so foolish to sack him today — at least that’s a call which can turn out either way.

According to a Hindustan Times report last week, a contract extension for Constantine is far from a certainty and whether he’ll receive one will only be discussed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials post December this year. Furthermore, the report states that an "I-league-winning foreign coach", widely believed to be former Bengaluru FC (BFC) coach Ashley Westwood, is in the fray to replace the incumbent.

Whatever might be the final call, the AIFF must fast-track its decision. There is nothing to be gained from simply hanging around. India aren’t scheduled to play any matches between now and February (although they might play one friendly in December), so there is very little new information to be had regarding Constantine, his methods or his impact on the team.

What the AIFF know today is pretty much what will form the basis of their decision in the near future.

With the next round of Asian Cup qualifiers starting in March 2017, the team can hardly afford to have a new coach entering in February. It’ll almost certainly kill whatever little hopes India have of qualifying for Asia’s biggest football event.

If the coach has to change, it must happen sooner. If not, then Constantine and his players need to have the security of knowing that he will continue for another term at the earliest. You can’t fully commit yourself to the cause in an uncertain environment.

There’s overwhelming support in favour of keeping Constantine.

A feel-good factor around the national team has led to a significant level of outrage at the possibility of his exit. India recently destroyed Puerto Rico 4-1 in Mumbai, a fluid performance against a team that was ranked 38 places higher at the time. It was India’s ninth win in 11 matches — a pretty decent run of form.

Moreover, Constantine has handed out 30 debuts during his 18-month tenure thus far, thereby building what he calls "a pool of players" for the future. Nearly half of his squad of 27 players for the Puerto Rico fixture was below the age of 23. When he joined in March 2015, most senior players were turning 30 and there was a pressing need for the next generation of talent to be found and bedded in. He’s certainly achieved that to a certain extent.

But there’s a debate to be had, especially if you believe that Englishman Westwood is a better coach than his compatriot.

Constantine’s tenure hasn’t been all that rosy.

India finished bottom of their five-nation World Cup qualifying group, which saw seven defeats in eight matches including an away loss to lowly Guam — a team ranked 33 places below India at the time. In all of those qualifiers, India’s offensive display was abysmal and improvements on the attacking side of their game were non-existent.

"Constantine has only really worked on the defensive transitions," a foreign coach working in India, who closely follows the national team, mentioned to me in May earlier this year. "And he hasn’t had much success at that either."He also suggested that "India needs a more rounded coach" before throwing in Westwood’s name as the man for the job — which could soon prove to be prophetic.

During the aforementioned run of nine wins in 11 matches, two defeats came in the World Cup qualifiers away to Iran and at home to Turkmenistan following which Constantine’s position was put under scrutiny. The nine wins were largely against teams India were expected to beat.

Victories over Guam and Afghanistan —both at home — were commendable though not entirely surprising while higher-ranked Puerto Rico were in the midst of a crisis back home in addition to missing key personnel and being well underprepared (they had missed their flight).

Introducing debutants and youngsters into the national team setup has defined Constantine’s tenure. Indeed you couldn’t possibly miss keeping track of them: the coach would explicitly mention this in every other press conference. It was his saving grace during tougher times.

But Westwood has already weaved his magic in this domain. He achieved success with BFC while promoting youth and forming a pipeline to the national setup. In fact, Westwood famously played an all-Indian starting XI in the AFC Cup. He’s always protected the interests of Indian football, firmly abiding by I-league’s Under-22 rule when the country’s own coaches did not.

He may not be popular with large chunks of Indian football fans — Westwood was at the centre of BFC’s toxic rivalries with clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mumbai FC — but there’s certainly enough respect for his coaching pedigree and the work he did in Bengaluru, where he infused a level of professionalism never seen before at a football club in India.

With him familiar with Indian football and seemingly available, temptation to tie him down to the national team would be understandable. No foreign coach of the national team has previously managed an I-league club, let alone do it with such great success. His arrival wouldn’t be as fresh a start as with other coaches; there’ll at least be some sense of continuity.

Besides, the AIFF could part ways with Constantine for reasons other than footballing ones. He has been at loggerheads with the governing body on various matters: the cancellation of the tour to the United States; the late release, or no release at all, of players by Indian clubs for training camps; and the debate on Players of Indian Origins (PIOs).

How a no-nonsense coach like Westwood copes with some of these recurring problems in Indian football will be interesting to see should he eventually be appointed. It’s likely that this whole saga will play out for several months to come. You can only hope that it does not. A decision is needed either way and much earlier than next year.

It may cost the AIFF a little more to end Constantine’s tenure early should they decide to. But it pales in comparison to running down his contract and virtually end India’s Asian Cup hopes.

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