Interview with former Dempo manager Armando Colaco: "Indian Football still has a long way to go"

The year 2013 has seen many football clubs part ways with their manager. The list starts from the very famous Real Madrid and Manchester United, and goes all the way up to clubs like Wigan Athletic and Napoli. The Indian football league, more famously known as the I-league, has not been alien to this phenomenon either.

Dempo SC, one of the most successful teams in the league, will see a change in guard from the forthcoming season. You will no longer see Armando Colaco by the touch line during a Dempo match. As Colaco bids farewell to the Dempo family and the new man takes over the reins, Dempo SC had an opportunity to talk to the man who gave the Goan giants its identity.

Q: How would you describe your long relationship with Dempo SC?

Armando: I was always a Dempo man. Even after I leave the club on official terms, my love for the club and the morals that it stands for will never perish. I have always believed in the potential that the club and the players who play for this team have. I’m very thankful to my manager Mr. Dempo, who always allowed me to express myself in the team and gave me time and space to deliver results for the team.

Q: What do you think makes this club special and sets it apart from other clubs around the country?

Armando: I have been with the national team and even with Churchill Brothers for a good amount of time, but I believe that my time with Dempo was the best. I believe it’s the players and management that make this team one of the most feared teams in India. It is the attractive and creative football which Dempo plays that makes it different from other teams.

I still remember the days when we were forced to play in the league even though the club didn’t have much to pay for the players. But the players here never insisted on it and went on the play in the league just for the love of the game and for the pride of Dempo SC.

Q: Tell us one moment that you would like to describe as your happiest moment with Dempo SC and you would cherish all your life.

Armando: It will be hard to pick one moment that I will cherish all my life. I believe that I will surely remember every single day that I spent at the club. Be it the winning the I-league twice or the Durand Cup or the Federations Cup, or even taking Dempo to the semi-finals of the AFC Cup – every moment will be fresh in me. But one thing that would stand out would be my team going undefeated in the Division 2 league.

Q: One moment that you would like to describe as your saddest day in office?

Armando: That undoubtedly should be the winning the Federation Cup in Bangalore. It might sound ironic, but Cristiano’s loss was any day bigger than winning even the league. I still hope that such incidents don’t happen ever again.

Q: Where do you see Dempo heading after your departure?

Armando: I’m very sure that the club, the players and the new manager will surely carry on the legacy of Dempo SC. Dempo today is one of the best clubs in the country and I believe that there is surely no looking back and the new manager will surely take the team ahead and win many more silverwares for the club. I wish them all the success in the coming days.

Q: Moving away from Dempo, we also know that you had coached the national team for a brief moment. How do you analyse the development in the Indian football circuit?

Armando: Indian football is surely developing. There is no doubt about the quality that we have in the country. I believe that more and more academies should be set up so that we can tap this available talent. One TATA football academy (TFA) is not enough. I believe that every city, if not every state, should have one academy.

Q: Talking about academies, Dempo has Clifford Miranda who has come from TFA. How do you analyse the role that the academy plays in one’s career?

Armando: Setting up an academy is one thing and having good coaches who can train and develop a player is a different aspect. It is sad that India has failed on both the fronts. One, we have no good academies and two, we don’t have centres where potential coaching talent can be moulded and made into world class asset. I feel sorry to say that we still have a very long way to go.

Q: Before we let you go, we would like to know whether you will be connected to the club.

Armando: I was always a Dempo man and will continue to be so. I will definitely be in touch with the club. It’s too early for me to decide on my future. So, I cannot tell you the manner in which I’ll be in touch with Dempo. As of now, I want to spend some time with my family. It’s been very long. The club and the team was my priority all these years but now I wish to spend some time with my family before I decide my future and head in that direction.