#TFGinterview- Explosive Jahar Das says AIFF played favourites, promises Aizawl FC will fight hard in Federation Cup

THE I-LEAGUE SEASON 2015-16 came to an end yesterday, and when the final league table came out, sitting in the dreaded relegation spot were new entrants Aizawl FC. 

It's not like they had finished at the bottom. That was the other debutant club DSK Shivajians, with a point less. But thanks to being a corporate franchise, the Shivajians were exempt from relegation. And having progressed to the top division by winning the lower league, Aizawl FC had no such privilege, and despite showing promise had to take the fall after just one season in the I-League.

It was this "double standard" within the league that irked Aizawl FC Jahar Das when he spoke exclusively to TFG. Currently in Goa with the club's Under-15 team, the gaffer's frustration with the relegation came pouring out over the phone. And he held AIFF's unconventional scheduling of the leaghue at least partly responsible for it,

"We should not have been relegated because we did not finish last in the table. Moreover, the relegation affair has been handled very poorly by the All India Football Federation. Because the fixtures cannot be made in a way where one team finishes and the others are given the privilege of playing two matches afterwards. So this is very very irregular on the part of All Indian Football Federation while making the fixture. That means they had decided that Aizawl FC would be relegated before the start of the league!"

Citing the practice of holding all last round matches simultaneously in all major football leagues in the world, Das said it was wrong that Aizawl FC finished their season on 16th April while the league went on till 24th,

"Even during the league it was clear how good we were. Of course there were some debacles, which is always a possibility for a long league like this anywhere in the world. Even Manchester United loses to smaller teams. Taking all this into consideration, we felt very bad about the way we were handled throughout... again, other teams involved in the relegation fight had 2 games still to play after our last match! Not one, two! This happens nowhere!"

Das also pointed out that Aizawl FC were not even the bottom table team in the league,

"The last team in the league table should be relegated. How do you make a rule saying that DSK Shivajians will not be relegated? What is this? It's like having three sons, and you punish two of them for wrongdoings, but one of them can do any nonsense and nobody says a single word? It's like we're being treated with a step-motherly attitude. We are very very upset about that. But we'll play in Federation Cup. No one can stop it. And there we will prove that we should not have been relegated. We will prove it."

Aizawl FC are set to play defending Federation Cup winners and current I-League champions Bengaluru FC in the quarter finals of the Federation Cup. But the coach said that going up against such a heavyweight team was not going to intimidate his boys,

"Yes, we're going up against the champions. But you'll see what happens. Because our boys will be very very tight (sic). Initially they were a little bit nervous, now that nervousness is gone and you'll see the result... we will show the people and the champions how difficult it is to beat Aizawl FC who have been relegated."

As a coach Das has spent years coaching teams around the country. He coaches the Bengal team in Santosh Trophy, the India U-17 team and even managed Mohun Bagan for a short while. Speaking about that experience, he disclosed why his tenure with the Mariners was cut short,

"A major share of my 30 years' coaching experience has gone towards youth development. I have also managed many senior teams including Mohun Bagan. But our problem is... while we should always have the foundations of our work very strong, Mohun Bagan sacked me because they wanted instant results. I said wait, result will definitely come. The foreigners I had in my team at Mohun Bagan in 2006 like Ibrahim Kofi, they did not play any further in the I-League. They went back to their own country. And they said categorically, sir, we missed you. Mohun Bagan got the results after my leaving (sic). Biswajit Bhattacharya does confirm that because of me the team was fit and tactically okay. I couldn't do much in the 6 games I got, but that team was always going to be champions... but just missed it in the end. So coaching is my passion first, profession second."

Even at Aizawl FC, Jahar Das wears many hats. He joined the club as the Head of Youth Development, but later took on the additional responsibility of coaching the first team mid-season when Spanish coach Manuel Retamero Fraile was sacked. About his role in Aizawl FC, Das said, 

"I've been with Aizawl FC for about 9 months, and I have worked in their youth development operations as well. They are planning to launch a big youth development project, and you'll see how successful it will be if I am here. There are U-13, U-15, U-18 and now U-21 teams... in every category we have a coach and an assistant coach. I don't coach these teams directly, I coach the coaches. So even if I'm not there because of senior team duty, there won't be any problem. I always keep in touch with the coaches as per need."

The talk turned back to I-League. In terms of points, Aizawl FC finished at par with Salgaocar, which means that had they escaped even one defeat it could have saved their season. Asked which of the losses he regretted most, Das said,

"The Salgaocar match should not have been lost by us. That was painful for us. Because we both finished on 16 points. So had we not lost to Salgaocar we would have been ahead in points. That loss spoiled everything."

The coach and the players at Aizawl FC are still dealing with the shock of relegation, but the Federation Cup is already upon them. When TFG asked Mr Das what he would like to say to the players and fans so they can come out of this slump and look forward to the historic occasion of playing their first ever match in the Federation Cup, he signed off saying, 

"I can motivate the players very well, they are professionals and they will pick themselves up for the games. But I really feel pity for the supporters, who have been equally hurt by our relegation. It will be very difficult to console them."