‘Achievers already, even if we bow out’
ABU DHABI: A nomadic English coach whose colourful career has taken him from Millwall to Malawi has got cricket-mad India dreaming of Asian Cup football glory. India stunned Thailand 4-1 in their opening match last weekend to record their first victory at the tournament in over 50 years and despite losing 2-0 to hosts United Arab Emirates, Stephen Constantine insists football has knocked cricket of its perch — at least for a little bit.
“After qualifying and two outstanding performances we have done that and more,” the 56-yearold Londoner said. “Indians do love their cricket but you really are seeing a metamorphosis in football and that is really something to be proud of. To get to the knockout stages would be massive,” added Constantine. “But whatever happens, we’ve already overachieved.”
“Football is as popular in India in my opinion — it’s just not written about as much,” said Constantine, who returned for a second spell as India boss four years ago. “Of course when the cricket team is doing well and the football isn’t, there is only going to be one wi n n e r . But t h a t h a s a l l changed,” he added, pointing to the progress his rough diamonds have made and the positive impact of the Indian Super League since its launch in 2013.
“The fact that we are capable of playing the bigger teams and compete was not the case when I arrived. We are a solid unit, we work very hard and on our day can hurt most teams.”
India last qualified in 2011 when they were thrashed by Australia, Bahrain and South Korea, conceding 13 goals.but the step up in quality shown by the world’s 97th-ranked national side this time around has been little short of astonishing.