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What's the story?
Indian senior football team manager Stephen Constantine has become a respected figure in the Indian circuit after guiding the national team to a record FIFA ranking of 96. Constantine is also looking closely at the progress of the Indian U-17 side who are all set to participate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in the country.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Independent, Constantine has revealed that he will help the England U-17 as much as possible which is expected to be a surprising statement for a few. The former Millwall boss said, "The Under-17 World Cup is in India and the FA have reached out to me and I will help them as much as I can. That in itself is recognition from them."
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In case you didn't know...
Constantine took over the Indian reigns for the second time in 2015 when the team was languishing 174th in the FIFA rankings and has done exceedingly well. Before accepting India's offer, he had coached the national teams like Nepal, Malawi, Sudan and Rwanda. He is a UEFA Pro License holder and has completed his managerial education along with Steve McLaren and Mark Hughes. The boss also recently released his autobiography titled, "From Delhi to the Den."
The heart of the matter
Constantine is eager on helping out the young Colts from his homeland with the English FA understanding that the 54-year-old can impart useful knowledge to the players and the coaching staff. England have had a brilliant summer so far concerning the performances of their youth teams with the U-20 and U-19 sides winning the European championships. Understandably, the Three Lions are expected to be one of the strongest sides to arrive for the World Cup.
What's next?
India will take part in a tri-nation tournament this month along with the likes of St. Kitts and Nevis and Mauritius. Thereafter, Constantine will lead the country in an all important AFC Cup qualifying match against Macau on September 5.
Author's take
It is good to see the English FA taking full advantage of one of their countryman working in India since a long time. This could have been done by the AIFF as well to appoint the 54-year-old as a consultant to the Indian U-17 team with Constantine being a brilliant man manager.
