Indian Football's estranged history with foreign head coaches

It is regrettable that even though some of them gave their best efforts in taking the team forward, their Indian chapter ended on a challenging note with the AIFF. In 2019, when India was only a draw away from qualifying for the second round of the Asian Cup, despite showing an excellent performance against Bahrain, India lost the match. The same night, to the fan's surprise, Stephen Constantine, the then coach of the Indian team, one of the best Indian coaches, announced that he would be leaving the position after the loss. Though the announcement was made in the night, the federation immediately accepted his resignation. The fans were left heartbroken owing to the tough loss at the Asian Cup and the loss of one of the greatest coaches. 

It is said that people who knew the game and the administrative side well already knew that Constantine's time in India was over. When he was offered to coach India, the administration, the fans, and the players were delighted to have him, yet his relationship with the federation soon deteriorated. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the federation was happy to let him go, despite his incredible contribution to Indian football when he announced his resignation. 

Not only Constantine but Houghton also came to India with a similar fate. Houghton, still remembered as the greatest Indian coach of the 21st century was accused of passing racial comments to an Indian referee. Soon after the accusation, he had to resign from his post and leave the country. He even had to fight for his settlement severance package with the AIFF. Seeing one of the greatest Indian coaches going through this plight broke many football fans' hearts. It was impossible to fire him based on his on-field performance, seeing his record and performance. The AIFF was looking for one opportunity to sack him, and the accusation of racism against an Indian served as the opportunity they were looking for. Houghton regularly had disagreements with the federation, and those who knew football knew that his days in India were limited. 

Another incredible coach, Milovan, who helped India reach the final rounds of the 1984 Asian Cup, was also removed owing to the internal politics of the AIFF. It won't be wrong to say that Indian football is lagging compared to other sports like Cricket, Kabaddi, Tennis, etc. One of the reasons could be these internal politics. Indian football federation Many good coaches were shown the door despite having the ability to take Indian football to great heights. The federation doesn't mend its ways. In that case, Indian football may be left far behind its international counterparts, despite having the ability and talent to be one of the best international teams.