Rob Baan slams club for over interference

Stressing on the fact that coach should get a freehand, while selecting to training, AIFF technical director, slammed the club presidents for their over interference in the selection and training matters.

Baan was of the view that presidents often have a higher say in matters such as these as they own the club.

“I understand as a president you have larger say. But if you have appointed a coach, then he should be allowed a freehand on how he wants to train and who to select in the team,” said Baan.

“It’s totally unacceptable that a president makes a call to the coach, or tells the coach to have two training sessions in a day.

“Imagine someone from Madrid telling Mourinho to make Ronaldo train harder. It should be completely his (coach) call,” he added.

Baan was also critical of fitness training methods adopted by various clubs.

“I have seen lot of coaches in here stress on static stretching and long hours of practice. That’s totally rubbish.

“It would have been more pleasing to see a coach spend that much number of hours in improving their passing game.

“Fitness wise too, I have never seen so many ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries in my coaching career. There have been so much of unnecessary fitness training practices at the club level which has affected the national team.

“It will have to be stopped and we need to have a common approach in fitness training if the national team has to achieve results. That is why Raymond Verheijen is here in India. We have to adopt a new fitness training philosophy in India," he said.

The Dutch fitness and conditioning coach Verheijen was in Capital for a three-day coaches’ training programme.

Stressing on that fact small football countries tend to overlook on the technical and tactical aspect, while concentrating on fitness.

“The most important thing in football is decision making and that players learn to play together and communicate. The next thing is good technique or technical execution of the decision. And then comes fitness.

“It should be the third element in a coaching programme. With fitness you can become quicker but it will be of no use if you are not technically and tactically sound,” Verheijen, who had been associated with top clubs like Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea said.