Sports
India football coach Constantine given contract extension (Lead)
Mumbai, Feb 7 (IANS) India football team head coach Stephen Constantine was handed a contract extension on Wednesday by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which rewarded the Englishman for the 2019 Asian Cup qualification.
The 55-year-old, who has been in charge of the national team since 2015, helped India achieve their best-ever FIFA ranking since February 1996 when they ranked 96 in July 2017.
“The AIFF Technical Committee chaired by Shyam Thapa held here, unanimously agreed to offer an extension of contract to Stephen Constantine based on his performance,” the AIFF announced in a statement.
“The members felt that the Indian senior national men’s team met the dual strategic objectives of AIFF by qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2019 as well as by consistently achieving a top 15 FIFA ranking amongst Asian countries in the recent past. Accordingly, there was no reason for the AIFF not to offer a contract to Stephen,” the statement added.
Constantine, though, won’t be given a big hike, Thapa indicated.
“There won’t be a massive hike given to him. That is the understanding. We have communicated our decision to the AIFF and now Constantine will decide,” Thapa told IANS.
Constantine’s demand for a salary hike was the only bone of contention before the meeting.
Constantine draws a monthly salary of $20,000 (around Rs 12.8 lakh).
The English-Cypriot coach began his second spell in India in January 2015. He got a 14-month extension in November 2016 and was denied a hike back then.
But after that, India have been on a roll, remaining undefeated in 13 matches, an unprecedented run that includes 11 wins and two draws.
India’s ranking also improved dramatically as they reached their highest ranking in two decades when they broke into the top-100 (96) and are currently placed 102nd in the world.
The technical committee also met the coach of India’s under-17 World Cup team and Indian Arrows, Luis Norton de Matos, who gave a presentation charting the roadmap for the team.
“We are very happy with him and he has been doing well with the boys,” Thapa added.
–IANS
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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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