Kolkata, Feb 8 : Former East Bengal striker Jamshed Nasiri criticised the sacking of coach Vishwas Gaonkar by Sporting Clube de Goa in the middle of the season and said the administration should be blamed for the failure and not the coach or the players. The Iranian footballer, who was a big star along with compatriot Majid Baskar in the late 1980s, was shocked at the removal of Gaonkar, whose papers were sought after Sporting as they lost to Mohun Bagan to slip from the top spot in the I-League standings.
The Iranian footballer, who was a big star along with compatriot Majid Baskar in the late 1980s, was shocked at the removal of Gaonkar, whose papers were sought after Sporting as they lost to Mohun Bagan to slip from the top spot in the I-League standings. "This is not the way football should be managed. Somebody should tell the club that it's the management who agree upon and appoint a coach. The management picks players and gives the coach to deliver. One needs time to combine as a unit. Removing someone after failure in a few matches is not the solution," Nasiri told reporters.
He said "Gaonkar was doing a fine job. I don't understand the policy of bringing in somebody when the team is in the middle of a tournament."
"It's not just about coach alone, the side also has supporting staff who play a crucial role in shaping up the side. So why hold only the coach responsible?" he asked.
Nasiri, who had scored the winning goal against Mohun Bagan to help East Bengal win the Federation Cup in 1985 in Bangalore, said football in India could only be developed by nurturing youngsters.
"I can tell you, there's loads of talent in the country. We only need to spot and groom them," Nasiri, who is now the coach of CC&FC, said on the sidelines of a seminar organised by EduSports on the 'Importance of sports in holistic education'.
EduSports, here in Kolkata, aimed to tie up with schools to develop sports like football, cricket, basketball and volleyball.
Former hockey Olympian V Bhaskaran is part of the team which has held similar seminars in Bangalore, Chandigarh and Coimbatore.