Clarence Westerhof has joined a group of 10 other names being considered for coaching the Indian soccer squad. Westerhof coached the Nigerian team for the 1994 World Cup with players like Jay Jay Okocha and Daniel Amokachi in its ranks. The Dutchman has also coached Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The other big names being considered include Argentina's 1978 World Cup winner Jorge Mario Olguin, Croatian Milos Hrstic, who represented Yugoslavia in the 1982 World Cup, and Brazilian Milton Queiroz da Paixao.
This will be a mammoth undertaking: To make the Indian soccer team play 90 minutes as a team with short passes, first timers, sliding tackles, and hard running. Too often have we seen the wasted long ball drifting down to a 5'2" player who gets promptly dispossesed. By minute 35, the Indian team needs an oxygen tent. And if white men can't jump, then an Indian cannot do a sliding tackle.
If Dutch coaching is any indication of success as demonstrated by Guus Hiddink, Leo Beenhakker, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten, Ronald Koeman, Dick Advocaat, then Clarence Westerhof should be considered seriously.
It would. The rivalry is most passionate when it comes to cricket. Soccer barely registers a pulse. Unless you're in Calcutta or Goa.
Given the cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan it would be great if that can spill over to football as well and we'd have two more nations enter the arena of competitive football.