“We need more games to build a better future” states Isac Doru, the Technical Director of the All India Football Federation

by Rounak Majumdar October 1, 2019

With more than 30 years of experience in the football industry, Isac Doru, the former assistant of Arsene Wenger and the current Technical Director of the All India Football Federation believes that the state associations have a pivotal role to play for the development of football in the nation.

While football in India is seemingly at a rise and are considered as the ”Sleeping Giants” of world football, Mr Doru affirms that the state associations can only take the game forward.

“The State Associations are the bricks that build up the future of Indian football. These bricks make up the foundation. It is our job, as the federation, to work together in harmony and help football grow,” said Doru.

He further emphasized on the role of the State Development Officers. They are crucial for this process. With the country reviving the old tournaments like the Durand Cup and introducing newer ones like the Super Cup, Mr Doru quoted that the increase in participation will pave the future.

“The total states covered by the Development Officers of each state allows us to cover a larger area and a larger number of people,” said Doru. “Ultimately, though, this larger reach can only be capitalised upon, if more competitions are held, giving the footballers across all levels in the nation, more opportunities to play the game and improve themselves,” stated Isac Doru in a recent capacity workshop held in Delhi.

The new man at the helm thoroughly focused on the fact that the nation needs more competitions. People need to engage more with the game. Currently, 44% of the youth Indians play a sport. The associations and the stakeholders need to focus on the other 56%.

“We need more competitions. We need more games to build a better future. I read a lot about training techniques, and this and that. But the harsh reality is that we need our footballers to play more games, to play more competitions. A larger reach will certainly help us attain that.” concluded the Technical Director of Indian football.