My main challenge is to bring professionalism to Indian football: Zico
You have been to India in 2004 as the coach of Japanese national team which played against India at Kolkata. How was that trip?
It was a flying visit. It was very fast. We arrived in Kolkata, went to the stadium for training, played the game next day and after the match we took a flight back to Tokyo. I did not have any time to see the city. I spent my time at the hotel, the airport and the stadium. But I do remember the arena (Salt Lake Stadium). It was huge and it was full of people (almost 120,000-strong crowd). It was a great sight. It reminded me of my playing days for Flamengo at the Maracana Stadium in Rio. That's what I remember about India.
Do you think India will ever make it to the World Cup?
In life, everything is possible. The most important thing is to have a wish to succeed. In case of India, the country has to have a mindset of developing the sport. Football is very closely linked to culture. If a country's culture is not in sync with the football culture, it's difficult to make good players and build teams.
Would you consider training the Indian national team if such an offer is made after your stint with FC Goa?
It's not the time to think about that. Right now, I am not thinking of coaching the Indian national team. My focus is on FC Goa. I am focused on developing FC Goa as a professional side. I am not going to India to look for other opportunities and projects. I will do my best for FC Goa in the league. After that, we don't know what's going to happen. But, as I said, everything is possible.
Comments
I guess it was someone on this forum who pointed that out..hmm
My main challenge is to bring professionalism to Indian football: Zico
You have been to India in 2004 as the coach of Japanese national team which played against India at Kolkata. How was that trip?
It was a flying visit. It was very fast. We arrived in Kolkata, went to the stadium for training, played the game next day and after the match we took a flight back to Tokyo. I did not have any time to see the city. I spent my time at the hotel, the airport and the stadium. But I do remember the arena (Salt Lake Stadium). It was huge and it was full of people (almost 120,000-strong crowd). It was a great sight. It reminded me of my playing days for Flamengo at the Maracana Stadium in Rio. That's what I remember about India.
Do you think India will ever make it to the World Cup?
In life, everything is possible. The most important thing is to have a wish to succeed. In case of India, the country has to have a mindset of developing the sport. Football is very closely linked to culture. If a country's culture is not in sync with the football culture, it's difficult to make good players and build teams.
Would you consider training the Indian national team if such an offer is made after your stint with FC Goa?
It's not the time to think about that. Right now, I am not thinking of coaching the Indian national team. My focus is on FC Goa. I am focused on developing FC Goa as a professional side. I am not going to India to look for other opportunities and projects. I will do my best for FC Goa in the league. After that, we don't know what's going to happen. But, as I said, everything is possible.
http://m.timesofindia.com/sports/football/indian-super-league/interviews/My-main-challenge-is-to-bring-professionalism-to-Indian-football-Zico/articleshow/42330348.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=toisports