Lothar Matthaus stresses on quality coaching at the school level

“You get good footballers only when they learn from the best coaches. India needs good coaches to produce better footballers,” was the advice that the legendary World Cup-winning German captain Lothar Matthaus had to offer when he arrived here to assume his role as the ambassador of the newly launched Bengal Super League (BSL).

The recipient of the first FIFA World Player of the Year wondered why Indian football languished at 136th spot in the FIFA rankings and said the administrators of the sport here should put in a system where they introduce quality coaching at the school level.

“A good teacher makes a good student. And when you have a bad teacher, or a bad professor, you don’t get good students,” Matthaus assessed the reason behind football’s underdevelopment in a country with the biggest population in the world.

“To start with you bring the legends, ex-players and reputed coaches to India to teach your coaches. Then these coaches can help the new generation of players. You have to start this at the school level,” he told select media on Sunday.

“For example, Cape Verde, which has a population of just half a million people, is going to the World Cup. You have the highest population in the world and you don’t go to the World Cup? This cannot be.

“You have to find a system which will involve the football federation, the Government, the clubs and the academies to work for a common goal like you have in cricket, hockey or chess where you have produced world champions,” the former German captain tried to make his new association with Indian football more meaningful.

The legendary defender, who helped Germany to the FIFA World Cup title in 1990, spent a good part of the day interacting with school children before attending some charity events hosted by the organizer of BSL, Shrachi Sports.