Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Indian Under-22 football squad is getting a taste of the tough and unforgiving Australian brand of coaching before the Asian Championship in Oman later this month. With the freshly-appointed,Melbourne-born coach Arthur Papas at the helm,slackers and late-comers attending the national camp at Ambedkar Stadium here are finding the training schedule a bit too punishing.
So on Monday,while the 32-year-old hard taskmaster watched his boys play a practice game,he occasionally threw a stern look at a small bunch of players running unending laps around the field. As the drained out boys finally rested after over 90 minutes,Papas gave the reason for the apologetic look on their long faces.
Thats for not reporting for dinner on time. Discipline is something these guys cant go against. All of them are professionals and they cant act like amateurs. Football is a game in which for every minute of your life you have to stay a professional, he says.
The coach says that his way to rebuke his wards depends on the level of their indiscipline. Some are asked to cool their heels on the bench. The other day,I asked a player to sing a song for the entire squad. Many of these players will go and join the senior team. So they cant afford to have a casual attitude, said Papas.
Change in attitude
The coach is happy with the fact that his training methods have resulted in a change in the attitude of the team. Everyday I see improvement. I see positivity on the ground and also off the field. They need to know that they are playing for their country and they have to respect the badge they wear,explains Papas.
As the evening session comes to an end,the players are asked to do sprint repetition. The exhausted bunch attempt to cut corners but are stopped in their track by the eagle-eyed Australian. Many of you havent touched the line. In case you guys dont touch the line,the session would not get over.
With Papas around,there are no short cuts.
