New Delhi: India coach Stephen Constantine has claimed the Football Association (FA) has reached out to him for guiding the England team in the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup, and he is ready to help them as much as he can. India will host its first FIFA event, October 6 to 28.
“The under-17 World Cup is in India and the FA has reached out (to me) and I will help them as much as I can. That in itself is recognition from them,” Constantine was quoted as saying by the ‘Independent’ newspaper in London.
In his second stint with the Indian senior team, the 54-year-old Englishman, in his just-released autobiography – ‘From Delhi to the Den’ – has lamented the lack of recognition from his own country as far as club coaching offers are concerned.
“I’m not saying give me the England job, but if you’ve got the knowledge of people out there, use them. If you’re English, you want to help England,” he has been quoted as saying.
Constantine, a UEFA Pro Licence holder, is also a FIFA instructor and has coached the Nepal, Malawi, Sudan and Rwanda national teams.
One famous personality from the world of football who regularly acknowledges Constantine’s work is Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
When Constantine met the manager of the club (Arsenal) he supports while doing his Pro Licence course, Wenger remarked: “I know all about you. If you’d done in Europe what you’ve done in Asia, you’d be coaching in the Champions League by now.”
Recalling his struggling days in England, Constantine has said in his autobiography, “In the early part of my career, I was begging English clubs to give me the time of day. I must have applied to half the full-time teams in England. But there was no response.”
Press Trust of India