Focus on development, not trophies: Hallgrimsson’s message for Indian football

Heimir Hallgrimsson the former coach of the Iceland national football team who along with cocoach Lars Lagerback masterminded the tiny nationrsquos stellar run to the quarterfinals of the UEFA European Championship in 2016 mdash including a shock 21 win over England in the last16 stage mdash sure knows a thing or two about unlocking a countryrsquos football potentialAnd the struggling Indian football system which seems to have kicked itself in the teeth with poor results and shoddy management could well learn some valuable lessons from this successful dentistturnedfootballcoach Currently the global ambassador and football mentor of Sports For Life a grassroots sports development initiative in India Hallgrimsson offered some golden words of advice that could spark a similar rise in Indiarsquos footballing landscapeEducation of coachesldquoOne of the reasons for Icelandrsquos success is that we have invested a lot in coaching education For example if you send an eightyearold for football training in Iceland irrespective of whether you live in a small village or a big city therersquos a 90 per cent chance that the place will have a UEFA A or B licensed coach to train youngstersrdquo Hallgrimsson 58 who also coached Iceland a country of less than four lakh inhabitants at their maiden FIFA World Cup campaign in 2018 told midday at a city hotel on FridayHis team eked out a famous 11 win against the mighty Argentina at the 2018 quadrennial showpiece in Russia Hallgrimsson stressed on bringing the same model to India via SFL Some of his key duties include designing modules to train Indian coaches to be on par with their European counterparts at the grassroot level ldquoJust imagine if we have the same number of highquality coaches available throughout India how fast football will develop in the countryrdquo added Hallgrimsson who currently manages the Republic of Ireland national teamThe reason behind focussing on grassroot development is simple ldquoUp to the age of 12 kids are like sponges you can teach them a lot of technique After puberty itrsquos difficult to finetune motor skills After that age they will learn more about the tactical physical and mental side of the gamerdquo explained HallgrimssonDifference in Iceland amp IndiaHallgrimsson had a very important warning though when it comes to teaching the game to youngsters He noticed a stark difference between Iceland and Indiarsquos footballing landscape is that youngsters in the subcontinent are put under a lot of pressure to win matches ldquoWe Iceland focus on individual improvement whereas here India the focus is on winning games come what may at youth level That is the big difference It should not about winning a match when you are just 10 years oldIt should be about growing into becoming a good player when you are 17 This time should be utilised to improve the young players and help them acquire all the skills they need to succeed at this game Winning matches at such a young age is not going to make you a good footballer Thatrsquos a mindset we need to changerdquo concluded Hallgrimsson whose international focus will soon turns towards the upcoming FIFA World Cup Playoff tie against Czechia on March 26 If Ireland win they face either Denmark or North Macedonia for a place in this prestigious event to be held in USA Canada and Mexico June 11 to July 19Heimirrsquos Highsgtgt Along with cocoach Lars Lagerback he helped Iceland qualify for the UEFA European Championship 2016 mdash the countryrsquos firstever major tournamentgtgt In their first match at the Euros Iceland held Portugal to a 11 draw Portugal went on to win the tournament highlighting Icelandrsquos abilitygtgt Tiny Iceland stunned football powerhouses England 21 in the Roundof16gtgt Hallgrimsson now the sole coach of Iceland with Lagerback moving on helped them qualify for their maiden FIFA World Cup becoming the smallest nation by population 335 lakh to qualify for the mega event Curacao population of 156 lakh recently broke that record for the upcoming World Cupgtgt Iceland held Lionel Messirsquos mighty Argentina to a 11 draw in the league phase of the 2018 World Cup