The departure of head coach Ashley Westwood after three fruitful years at the helm has left Bengaluru FC staring at a period of transition ahead. With an AFC Cup quarterfinal tie to preside over in September, and later an I-League title to defend, any incoming coach has his task cut out.
Mustafa Ghouse, the club’s COO, a former Davis Cup player and an Asian Games bronze-medallist discusses Westwood’s legacy, the club’s future, the proposed merger between the I-League and the ISL and more.
Excerpts:
BFC won the I-League this season and is now in the quarterfinals of the AFC Cup. How do you look at the club’s performance over the last three years under Ashley Westwood?
The performance of the team is beyond any expectation. It is a huge achievement for everyone involved and we are proud of the way things have played out.
What is the club looking for in the new head coach?
We’ve got big shoes to fill because Ashley has done an exceptional job and left us on top of Indian football. Now, it is a question of building on this success and the new head coach will have to work extra hard to keep this momentum going.
How close are you to making an appointment?
Whether we are close or not is still unclear because we are still talking to a lot of people. Also with the AFC Cup quarterfinals coming up in September, we don’t have time because the team has to get together and start pre-season etc. So the intent is to finalise things soon but right now, we are still in discussions.
The AFC Cup quarterfinals are in September and there is the issue of some ISL-contracted players being released. Where do you stand on the matter?
It is a matter of national pride that a team is representing India at the AFC Cup quarterfinals and everyone involved understands that. Therefore, the intent is to put forward the strongest team we have.
The AIFF has put forward its road-map to merge the ISL and the I-League. There has been vehement opposition from some of the I-League clubs. What is your opinion?
I think everyone needs to understand more about how this is actually going to work. We’ve always maintained that there needs to be a longer league and we can’t have teams playing only for four-five months in a season and expect to do well internationally. It keeps everyone more healthy and fresh and this is how football is played internationally.
So, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here; if this is implemented the way they say it will be, then it is a positive step forward.
Are you okay with the fact that the plan is to do away with promotion and relegation between the divisions, like in the United States?
I need to understand this in detail and haven’t had a chance to discuss this with the entire team and management on what this may entail. Until I do that, I won’t be comfortable making any comment.
Now that Ashley Westwood has left the club and the AFC quarterfinals are in September, do you think the club could be in for a difficult period of transition?
We do see it as a challenge and will try to continue proving ourselves. No quarterfinal tie is going to be easy and everyone is gunning for a spot in the top four. But this is a tough team and we have done well to get to where we are right now. The management of BFC will do all that it can to support the boys. We are confident we will be able to put together a squad that will make us proud at the AFC Cup.
