Bhutia pitches in for troubled coaches

FROM PTI REPORTS
Posted on 2009-06-26
NEW DELHI: India captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Thursday threw his weight behind the I-League coaches, who risk losing job for not possessing AFC-A licence certificate, saying they should be given time to earn the degrees.
It is important to have a licence but degrees alone don’t make a good coach,” Indian football’s pin-up boy said.
Bhutia’s comments came after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) turned down All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) request to allow coaches who do not possess AFC-A licence certificate to continue their club duty.
As many as eight coaches, including three foreigners, do not possess the required qualification and the list includes Karim Bencherifa (Mohun Bagan), Shabbir Ali (Mohammedan Sporting), Subroto Bhattacharya (Chirag United), Bimal Ghosh (Air- India), David Booth (Mahindra United), Elvis Goes (Vasco), Zoran Djordjevic (Churchill Brothers) and Sukhwinder Singh (JCT).
East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmick also falls in the same category but was omitted since he wasn’t handling the club then when AIFF had sent the request.
Bhutia said the federation must give time to the coaches to earn the necessary
degrees.
Coaches must be given one or two years to get them equipped. The federation must support them in this endeavour,” said the
mercurial forward.
I have approached the IFA and in turn the AIFF. I am still waiting for their response. But whatever decision is taken hope it is good and the issue gets sorted out quickly,” he said.