Indian football is in free fall. Could a former coach’s advice save it?
Former India coach Stephen Constantine believes Indian football is in “free fall” and has called for sweeping structural reforms, saying the national team must first dominate South Asia before they can dream of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.
Speaking to PTI from Rwanda, where he is currently the national team coach, Constantine expressed his disappointment at being overlooked for a third India stint and questioned the direction the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has taken in recent years.
“I should have been in India but I’m not. When you give seven years of your life to the national team, of course I have a personal interest,” said Constantine. Stephen Constantine coached India for 7 years. (Photo: Reuters)
The Englishman, who guided India to their highest FIFA ranking in more than two decades during his second stint, said the country’s problems extend far beyond the senior team and require long-term planning.
“There are a lot of things wrong. You can’t let senior players decide what happens in the national team. You have to have a proper league. You have to have promotion and relegation. You need to develop the youth. We need Indian coaches to develop,” he said.
Constantine also criticized the AIFF for failing to maintain stability after its deal with the Indian Super League ended.
“You have a contract with the ISL that has ended. But you should have done a lot more to continue that relationship and make things right,” he added.
CONSTANTINE APPLIED FOR THE ROLE OF INDIA
The 63-year-old was among the candidates considered for the India job before the AIFF appointed Khalid Jamil as the country’s first full-time head coach in more than a decade.
While he insisted he had no problem with an Indian coach taking charge, Constantine questioned the decision to hand Jamil the lead role with no previous experience of international football.
“I got shortlisted for the India job this time. They put in Khalid Jamil. Pretty decent. But Khalid Jamil has zero international football experience,” said Constantine.
“If you want an Indian coach, develop him. First put him under 23 or 20 and then make him the coach of the national team. You can’t put someone without international experience straight into the senior position.” Khalid Jamil has been appointed as the coach of India following the departure of Manolo Marquez. (Photo: PTI)
Constantine remains one of India’s most successful modern coaches. During his second stint between 2015 and 2019, he led India to the 2019 Asian Cup, won the 2016 SAFF Championship and the 2018 Intercontinental Cup and raised the FIFA team ranking from 171 to 96 in July 2017.
His first stint from 2002 to 2005 also brought the LG Cup title in Vietnam.
INDIA MUST RULE ITS REGION FIRST
The former India coach also dismissed talk of a World Cup, saying the national team’s immediate priorities should be far more realistic.
“When I came to India for the second time, Mr Praful Patel asked me how India can qualify for the World Cup. I said we are not even dominating the SAFF region. How do we qualify for the World Cup?”
“At the moment, Indian football is in a freefall. World Cup qualification is out of the question. First you have to qualify regularly for the Asian Cup. You have to dominate the SAFF region. If you don’t do these two things, you won’t go to the World Cup even if they field 100 teams.”
Constantine also questioned India’s decision to schedule friendlies against New Zealand for later in the year, arguing that the team would benefit more from facing stronger Asian opposition.
“You don’t play New Zealand in the Asian Cup, SAFF Championship or World Cup qualifiers. If you want a meaningful experience, play Saudi Arabia, UAE, Japan or China. It’s nice to play New Zealand, but it doesn’t make much sense to me from a footballing point of view,” he concluded.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
18 Jul 2026 19:34 IST