India’s national football coach, 9 players to watch United vs Arsenal

Coach Armando Colaco may find himself in further trouble. The interim national coach has made an unusual request to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The Goan has requested the game’s national governing body to allow him and the nine Dempo players in the Indian squad to have an extended stay in London so that they can watch the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal this Saturday.

It must be noted that Colaco, whose four-month contract with the AIFF ends on August 31, is the general secretary and coach of domestic powerhouse former I-League champions Dempo. The team will fly out of Bridgetown (Barbados) on Friday and has a stopover in London, from where they will catch a connecting flight to Mumbai.

“The coach made a request for watching the EPL match and his request has been accepted on the condition that they would bear the expenses,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said.

The nine Dempo players in the squad are Samir Naik, Mahesh Gawli, Debabrata Roy, Clifford Miranda, Climax Lawrence, Peter Carvalho, Laxmikant Kattimani, Rowilson Rodrigues, Valeriano Rebello. Colaco and these players will return on Sunday, while the rest of the squad will land in the city on Saturday night.

A section of the federation that’s been gunning for Colaco’s head has now criticised his “unusual” demand. “The entire national team should have stayed back. Why did Colaco make a request solely for his Dempo players? This would have been a great experience for all of them,” a senior AIFF official said.

The federation is set to discuss Colaco’s contract extension during its executive committee meeting in Kolkata on September 2.

While he is set to be offered a two-year contract, there seems to be strong opposition now, especially after his decision to call off the friendly against Barbados. The AIFF official said his latest “antic”, too, may not go down well with all the members.