India vs Mauritius: Constantine's vision for U23 players & concern for the future of U17 boys
THE PRE-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE for the first game in the Tri-Nation series between India and Mauritius took place today earlier in the evening.
Stephen Constantine, coach of the Indian national team was accompanied by Sandesh Jhingan, who is to lead the side against Mauritius.
On the question of having to play Mauritius and St. Kitts and Nevis as part of the preparation of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Macau shared,
“My initial aim was to play one game before every AFC qualifying game preferably countries like Hong Kong or Chinese Taipei who have similar of play like Macau. But having to play two games gives me more time because there is no league going on. We wanted one team from Africa and one from the Caribbean.”
He continued,
“The timing is such that many clubs and countries are out for their pre-season and it was difficult to get teams. We are just happy that we have two opponents that will give us different problems. It is also an opportunity that we get acquainted with ourselves since we have not played since June”
The current squad comprises of ten players from the Under 23 team. On the vision of having a lot more young blood, Constantine answered,
“The vision is to qualify for the AFC Asian Qualifier. And from there go on to compete with the big guns in the Asian Cup.”
On that note, Constantine shared that Sandesh Jhingan would be the captain of the side against Mauritius and went on to say,
“Sandesh is part of the process of development of Under 23 players. We need to qualify for the Asian Cup on a regular basis before we can think about qualifying for the World Cup.”
The newly announced captain shared his feeling on the announcement,
“I came into the team as a young boy. Along with me, many players came and from that lot many players have become seniors and see the progress the team has done. It is a great step and grassroots is the future”
Replying to a question on how Sandesh saw his partnership with Anas Edathodika in defence, Sandesh replied saying it was not just the two of them but the entire defence including goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Sharing about injury or unavailability concerns, Constantine said,
“Passi is part of the team but was never going to play. As part of my policy and the AIFF’s as well, is to help players who have had injuries that were and are part of the national team. He is here so we can help in the rehabilitation process”
The gaffer added,
“None of the Bengaluru FC players will be joining for the two games as they have AFC Cup commitments. I wish Gurpreet the best on his new job and of course we wish the best to Bengaluru FC before a very difficult game”
Constantine, who was a transition coach for a while of the India Under-17 World Cup bound team, talked about some important points pertaining to their future replying to a question on the team’s progress. He said,
“I have been tracking their results but have not seen their games. The important thing for the boys is what happens next that’s my concern. What are they doing in November December after the World Cup. Who is going to sign them? They will be signed but will they play? Then you have hundreds of crores down the toilet if these boys don’t play. We need to make sure these boys have some sort of pathway.”
He continued,
“That is applicable to the Under 19’s as well. What happens to them after the World Cup is the question”
The national team coach shared his thoughts on the move by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from Norway to India to be part of Bengluru FC saying,
“It was important for him to be at a place where he gets to play and at Bengaluru he will get to play”
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