By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media TeamHe’s just 32. But no one has ever doubted Arthur Papas’ tactical acumen. The highly-rated Australian with some saying “dutch blood” signed a contract with All India Football Federation on Monday (May 7) to take over as the Head Coach of the first AIFF Academy in Navi Mumbai. In an exclusive interview with www.the-aiff.com, Papas spoke at length about his priorities, challenges, coaching philosophy and perception about Indian football.
EXCERPTS:
What brings you to India?
I received an invitation to join All India Football Federation from Technical Director Rob Baan who had implemented a philosophy in Australia which focused on the total restructure of the Youth Development System.
India is a country which is waiting to make it's mark in World Football. Hence, the AIFF have joined forces with FIFA and PSV Eindhoven and have very big plans to shape the future by placing a major focus on the development of their Youth System. Personally it’s a huge challenge – the challenge of developing a ‘sleeping giant’ into a powerful force.
Where have your earlier assignments been?
I worked at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for two years and during that time had the fortune of working under Dutch Coach Jan Versleijen and Championship winning Australian Coach Gary Van Egmond. This role was pivotal in my development as a coach as I was involved with majority of the Australian players which play for the National Youth Teams as well as learning daily from two highly skilled coaches.
During the period I worked both as a Coach for Australian National Youth Teams within Asia as well traveling as a Technical Analyst with the Australian National Youth Teams.
From the AIS, I moved on to take my first Senior Head Coach position as the Head Coach of Oakleigh Cannons FC (Victorian Premier League) at the age of 30. That season the club made its' first ever Grand Final and finished joint top of the ladder and I was adjudged the ‘Coach of the Year' by the League.
My last assignment was with the A-League Newcastle Jets where I was working as the First Team Assistant Coach as well as being the Head Coach of the Youth Team.
What would be your priority in India?
My first priority is to embrace the Indian culture both in football and life. It's critical that I adapt to the culture rather than being vice-versa and then develop my ideas within this framework. This is an important aspect because it's about combining my footballing vision without losing the ingredients that the Indian football culture possesses.
In more detail, I am looking to bring my coaching philosophy that works at the same page as Rob Baan and Scott O’Donell to take Indian football to a higher level in the future.
Could you elaborate about this ‘Coaching Philosophy?’
Having spent much time in Asia over the past 3 years with Australian Youth Teams it's always common to see many of the Asian teams place a high emphasis on a win at all coast mentality in youth age groups. This in turn has them placing physical attributes over technical when selecting players.
This is an issue because it has become all about short term success and in the process, the long term is affected. In addition, the playing styles are normally focused on a defensive counter attacking style of football. My philosophy looks to identify players who show high technical and tactical competencies and teach them to play a style of football based on controlling the game and being pro-active -- irrespective of their physical size. This is evident in all the teams I have coached both at senior and youth level.
One of the other characteristics I also look to develop is the ability to play the game at a higher speed but to a level that can be controlled. Finally, it’s important to understand and mould them playing within a system – the 1-4-3-3 formation is one of many but has proven to be a very good system for developing players, which is why it is prevalent in many leading youth development systems all over the World.
Did you have any knowledge about Indian football prior to taking up this assignment?
I didn't have much knowledge about Indian football but since learning about the prospect of coming to India I researched the various histories & progress of the AIFF, I-League and Indian National Team. What I understand is that right now India sits on the cusp of undergoing a revolutionary change that if successful could prove very fruitful in the future.
For this to eventuate, Indian football needs to have everyone working on the same page and pushing in the same direction. My meetings with AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das, AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan & AIFF Academy Technical Director Scott O'Donell have been very positive and fruitful. I stay certain the objectives can be met and Indian football can thrive in the future. I have watched Indian National Youth teams playing in various AFC Tournaments over the past few years so have a basic understanding of their playing style and past philosophy.
You attended a Workshop for Coaches in New Delhi last month. What has your general perception been so far?
My first perception was that all present were very 'open minded' to the information presented by Mr. Rob Baan and Mr. Scott O'Donell. The Workshop also gave me the opportunity to gain a much clearer understanding of the vision that is being put in place for Indian football.
The infrastructure in Indian football need to improve in order to develop a much more thorough scouting system which will ensure that we find the best Indian youth footballers. From a coaching point of view, education of the coach is always an ongoing process and without the continued education of coaches, the players suffer in the long term.
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