If critics are to believed and if public opinion is any yardstick, Stephen Constantine will perhaps be the most hated man in Indian football today. Conceding 20 goals in five games within a span of four months has only added momentum to the growing discontent against the Anglo-Cypriot coach. In his two-and-half years as India’s chief coach, Constantine, who turns 42 next month, has never had it this bad. The All India Federation bosses are now divided whether Constantine should run his full contract till June 2005. The beleaguered coach spoke to TWF correspondent Tirtha Gautam on his stint in Indian football

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Does the growing frustration against you makes your job more uncertain now?
The axe is never far away. I am under no additional pressure than before and if the federation bosses think they can get a better man for the job, it’s their call. As far as I am concerned, I have given Indian football my best.

The successive defeats in the World Cup qualifiers must have been a rude jolt to you.
To begin with, if anybody expected that Indian would beat Japan or Oman, they were crazy. We had one target and that was to beat Singapore. We did that in our first match. The whole idea was to play Asia’s best as hard as we could. If have got beaten, I am not surprised because the Japanese or the Omanese are always two-three levels above us.

What has Indian football gained from you?
I am told there was a time when players would assemble at the airport and take off for an international match. At least there is a semblance of a camp now although I am unhappy with the duration and the facilities made available to the players. Let’s take the recent LG Cup as a case in point. All we got was a little over a week’s training because East Bengal refused to let their players come. In 2003, we had three full weeks and India ended up winning the championship. The players need all the support from the federation. Only then they will reciprocate. I can only suggest and recommend, but then that’s all I can do. The Japanese had more than 50 rooms when they came to Kolkata, we had 11 with three players squeezed into a standard room. Figures speak for themselves.

Do you think our players feel the pride of wearing an Indian jersey?
I would imagine that most do. But when clubs offer much more (financially) than the federation, players won’t risk their lives playing for India. But I have noticed a growing sense of commitment and more so among the younger lot whom I have always tried to blood.

Your selection of players has been quite debatable. Apparently, you have always trusted in a coterie of guys whose performance has been sub-par.
I have the freedom to choose my players and if I have kept faith in some of them it’s because they are prepared to give their best for the country. I don’t need nice guys in my team, I want fighters. If I have dropped a certain guy, I have a very good reason.

You seemed to be quite allergic to players like Noel Wilson, Surkumar Singh or even Tomba Singh. Why?
Noel is a good passer of the ball and a great character. But for a position he plays (central midfield), Noel has to be much better than that. He is a bad mover and good for club football. Tomba’s decline after he was voted India’s best last season has been amazing. For me, he is good for just 15 minutes. I don’t want to clarify every decision I have taken. Whatever I have done is for the team.

Are you happy with the Indian system?
India have a long, long way to go. We have to develop infrastructure and control the number of matches our guys are playing. As Zico pointed out, professionalism is the key and the clubs will have to do that first. But more than anything, we have to change our attitude. I am sick to death to hear that Indians are not good enough. It will be a great day when Indians stop criticizing Indians. There are enough outside to do that.

Now that our World Cup campaign is over, what are your plans?
It has always been by aim from Day One to develop a talent pool. Sadly, I never found more than 20-25 players who could match international standards. I have always experimented with young players and blooded them whenever possible. Our target should be the 2006 Asian Games and the federation should work towards that. Youth is the key.

Then ideally you should have coached the age-group teams, not the seniors.
Yes, ideally. I have worked with the under-17 team that played the World Cup qualifiers in Japan. I found there were flaws in team selection and I tried my best to correct. It’s up to the federation to use me. The results may not show, but it was a huge experience working in India. Life is not always a carpet!

Will you be surprised if the federation sacked you after the World Cup qualifiers?
(Laughs) Nothing surprises me in Indian football. I know I have generally got a bad press but then I was expecting that. It happens everywhere the coach is always in the line of fire. But during my tenure, Indian football has seen some good moments and I prefer to live with that. At least now the Indians hate losing a game. When I started, getting beat was acceptable. This change in attitude has been my greatest contribution.