Jamshedpur FC coach Steve Coppell has worked in different roles in his managerial career. From being an assistant coach to manager to chief scout to being appointed the Director of Football, Coppell has seen it all in a managerial career spanning over 30 years.

The 62-year-old, in his second season in Indian football, believes that while the Indian Super League (ISL) has had a positive impact on Indian players, a lot of credit must also go to India coach Stephen Constantine, who has masterminded the team’s qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup.

Team India broke into the top 100 of the FIFA rankings for the very first time in over a decade or so and are currently placed 102nd in the world.
“The only way you can judge the progress of Indian footballers is by looking at the performances of the national team. That’s the most important judgement of how the Indian players have progressed. I think Stephen Constantine has done a great job. The Indian team has climbed the world rankings and I think that is the most important effect or influence of the ISL.

“The team is now in the Asian Cup. It will be fascinating to see how they perform against teams, against whom they have not done well previously. The ISL introduced a diverse range of coaching from different parts of the world. I think that is a positive impact,” Coppell told Goal.


The India Under-17 team put in a competitive performance last year at the Under-17 World Cup and since then the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has kept the same set of boys together in their Arrows project, who are currently plying their trade in the I-League.
While ‘Viking Claps’ have become a common sight in the ISL these days, Coppell urged Indians to look at Iceland’s example as to how they managed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

He suggested that they have the best ratio of qualified coaches with regards to the population, an aspect which India desperately needs to revamp. The former Manchester City coach highlighted that India doesn’t have enough astro or natural turfs as infrastructure is another area which calls for attention.

“Yes, I saw the results. I didn’t actually see the Indian team. I watched a couple of other games. We were actually in Thailand for pre-season so didn’t get a chance to watch too many matches. But first and foremost, it proved that India can compete at the world level in that age group. It also proved and it is quite significant that India can stage a world event and going forward it is a must to improve the facilities because that is the only thing that is holding back Indian football - the lack of real facilities.

“In world football, you can see Iceland who have qualified for the World Cup. They have a population of 330,000 people. But I am sure they have more quality astroturf pitches than India do. Given the population of India, that is the way forward. In Iceland, they have the best ratio of qualified coaches per head of population. That is why they have been able to compete at world level. They have what 150,000 men out of which may be 15,000 men are of the correct age to play for the national team and from 15,000 they produced a team who can play in the World Cup. That is a magnificent achievement and that must be India’s pathway going forward I feel,” said Coppell