This could be a motivation for all Indian football coaches: Armando Colaco

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Describing himself as the “bridge” between the old and new generation of coaches, Dronacharya awardee Armando Colaco feels this honour will act as motivation for the country’s gaffers to take Indian football to new heights.

Armando, 71, has been applying for the award, the highest recognition for coaches in India, for several years.

“First and most important is that our coaches are going to realise that all your hard work is going to communicate, and I could be an inspiration to all these coaches because I’m like a bridge between the old generation and the new generation,” Armando told the AIFF.

“This could be a sort of motivation for all Indian coaches since foreign coaches are currently playing a dominant role in Indian football,” added Armando, who coached the national team in 2011.

He is the first Goan to receive the award, years after having won a record five NFL/I-League titles with Dempo SC.

During his short stint as the national coach, he had some impressive results under his belt, including a 2-1 victory over Qatar in a friendly played at Doha.

The same year, he guided India to a creditable 2-2 draw against mighty United Arab Emirates in a World Cup qualifying match at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.

“But etched in my memory will always be the 0-3 defeat we suffered against UAE in the away tie.

“We were reduced to nine men within 25 minutes because of two red cards. I had to quickly change the tactics and shuffle the players to stay in the game,” said Armando.

His wards in club level included players like Samir Naik, Mahesh Gawali, Clifford Miranda, and Climax Lawrence, who went on to don the national colours for many years.

The years between 2004-05 and 2011-12 seasons, Dempo were the dominant force in Indian domestic football under the tutelage of Armando.

“I had players who went on to play for the national team and even captain the national team. So, you know, that made me a very happy person. God has rewarded me. That’s the greatest satisfaction because I have really worked very hard all these years,” said the veteran coach.