Asian Cup 2019: All you need to Know about India's backroom staff

Modified Jan 05, 2019 11:11 IST

Coach Stephen Constantine has a troop helping him with his work at the Indian national football team

While everyone is familiar with Stephen Constantine, Sunil Chhetri, and the rest of the Indian football team, the backroom staff are rarely given their due credit.

There is a rehab specialist which ensures that the team recovers quickly after a match, there is a video analyst which analyzes the opponent's weaknesses, and there is a kit manager whose sole responsibility is to make sure that the Blue Tigers have their kit in time.

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While it is common for the fans and pundits to praise and criticize the coaches, captain, and the players, they forget to take into account the hard work of these staff members. Here are India's backroom staff members in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup you should know about.

Assistant coach - Shanmugam Venkatesh

Shanmugam Venkateshan is a former India captain

Shanmugam Venkatesh shouldn't be an unheralded name for Indian football fans who are following the Indian aspect of the sport for a long time. The 40-year-old attacking midfielder played for Salgaocar, Mahindra United, East Bengal, and Pune FC in the NFL and I-League. He also won the 1997, 1999, and 2005 SAFF Championships with the senior team and was appointed as the Assistant coach in 2015 as soon as Stephen Constantine became the head coach.

Goalkeeping coach - Rogerio Ramos

The goalkeeping coach is also a tech geek as he has a "mobile traction" patented on his name. The equipment measures the mobility and agility of the goalkeepers and connects the knees, hands, and waists of the players. He also trained the national blind team's goalkeepers recently in a camp.

Video analyst & Videographer - Shankar Sigamani

It is no secret that modern football requires the use of video analysis and, the man who does it for India is Shankar Sigamani. The Indian football team uses Interplay Sports' software to monitor the individual performances of the players. Moreover, he is also in charge of investigating the weaknesses of the opponents.

Doctor - Shervin Sheriff

Every player has to go through the fitness test if he wants to represent the nation. Shervin Sheriff conducts these tests and based on the results either rules the player out or gives him the thumbs up.

Media Manager - Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay

Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay is the media coordinator of All India Football Federation. Having previously worked with Kolkata Knight Riders as a Medical Coordinator, Shoubhik knows the ins and outs of the sports business and management.

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach/Rehab Specialist - Joel Carter

Born and brought up in Australia, Joel Carter is the assistant strength and conditioning coach and the rehab specialist of the Indian football team. He was appointed only in March 2018 and is adept with the latest research in various sports specific fields like track and field, football, rugby sevens, touch football, softball, water polo, swimming, tennis.

Sports Scientist/Strength and Conditioning coach - Danny Deigan

One of the major achievements of Indian football in the past five years is the rise in fitness levels of the Indian players. While the ISL and I-League clubs can take their due credit, Danny Deigan should be the one everyone should thank as he successfully implemented it in the national team.

Using GPS systems in practice sessions and international matches and training methods specific to different players are just some of the various inputs put in by the Australian. Moreover, after visiting EPL clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Leicester City, he assured everyone that the training methods which the national team follows are quite similar to those clubs and one of the best in Asia.

Physiotherapist - Gigy George & Pratik Kamble

Gigy George is the lead physiotherapist of the Indian football team and is responsible for weeding out any niggles player suffers in the run-up to the match. Pratik Kamble is his assistant who was earlier the lead physiotherapist for DSK Shivajians.

Himanshu Kharolia (Team Manager), Per Inge Jacobsen (Analyst), Bahadur Singh Karki (Kit Manager) and Liaqat Ali (Masseur) are the other unheralded backroom staff the fans should know about.

Edited by Aravind Suchindran