New Delhi, Jan 3 Former national coach Armando Colaco said the Dronacharya Award 2024 for Lifetime achievements he was conferred with on Thursday, should go a long way in producing more quality Indian coaches.
Colaco, who comes from Goa, is the third Indian football coach after Syed Nayeemuddin and Bimal Ghosh to be conferred with the prestigious award.
Undoubtedly one of the country’s most successful coaches in the new century, Colaco, during his coaching career of nearly four decades, holds the distinction of excelling in both the national and international arenas.
“First and most important is that our coaches are going to realise that all your hard work is going to communicate, and I could be an inspiration to all these coaches because I'm like a bridge between the old generation and the new generation. This could be a sort of motivation for all Indian coaches since foreign coaches are currently playing a dominant role in Indian football,” said Colaco, who coached the national team in 2011.
During his short stint as the national coach, Colaco had some impressive results under his belt, including a 2-1 victory over Qatar in a friendly played at Doha. The same year, Colaco guided India to a creditable 2-2 draw against the mighty United Arab Emirates in a World Cup qualifying match at the Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi.
"But etched in my memory will always be the 0-3 defeat we suffered against UAE in the away tie. We were reduced to nine men within 25 minutes because of two red cards. I had to quickly change the tactics and shuffle the players to stay in the game," said Colaco.
As a club coach, Colaco took Dempo Sports Club, Goa, to a new height. Under him, Dempo won the National Football League twice and the I-League three times. His wards included players like Samir Naik, Mahesh Gawali, Clifford Miranda, and Climax Lawrence, who went on to don the national colours for many years. In the years between 2004-05 and 2011-12 seasons, Dempo were the dominant force in Indian domestic football under the tutelage of Colaco.
"I had players who went on to play for the national team and even captain the national team. So, you know, that made me a very happy person. God has rewarded me. That's the greatest satisfaction because I have really worked very hard all these years," said the veteran coach.
Even at 70, Colaco remains an active coach and hasn’t lost his hunger for success. He is currently attached to the Sporting Clube de Goa. “My aim now is to take the club to the I-League, and I hope to succeed soon," he said.
"I get immense pleasure in taking up challenges. It was like a passion. When I accepted the coaching offer from East Bengal, I was told that the match against Mohun Bagan is always considered the most crucial. I quietly accepted the challenge. During my tenure, East Bengal played six matches against Mohun Bagan and didn’t lose any," Colaco said.
The Dronacharya coach thinks the Indian coaches should receive more opportunities. "The Indian coaches have the advantage of knowing the culture. That’s the most important factor. You know your players; you know your mother India. It always helps," he said.
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