The Indian men’s football team is in a state of transition. Following a string of poor results under Manolo Marquez, the All India Football Federation hit the reset button and handed over the reins to Khalid Jamil on August 1 — the first Indian manager that the Blue Tigers have had in 13 years. However, a coach cannot work his magic by himself, he needs a team of trusted sidekicks, and one of them is Manuel D’Souza, the team’s Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Coach.
‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’
“I was overjoyed when the coach [Jamil] called and said, ‘I want you in my backroom staff,’ because I felt it doesn’t get bigger than this. I’m very thankful to Sohfit HQ [gymnasium], whom I am on contract with, that they didn’t stand in my way and instead allowed me to take up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” D’Souza, 34, a resident of Bandra’s Chapel Road, told mid-day.
Team India’s S&C Coach Manuel D’Souza (left) with Head Coach Khalid Jamil
D’Souza, who has previously been the S&C coach of Pro Kabaddi League team U Mumba (2019-2022), has had a long-standing association with Jamil. “I made my I-League debut in the 2010-11 season with Mumbai FC when Jamil was the coach. I had also played under him for Mumbai FC’s U-19 team where we won the Super Division title in 2008-09. I’m glad he trusted me for this role,” added D’Souza, who began working with the Blue Tigers on August 16 at the national camp held at the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Tajikistan test today
Team India begin their first challenge under coach Jamil at the CAFA Nations Cup, where they face hosts Tajikistan on Friday (August 29). The Blue Tigers have been drawn in Group B, and have Iran (September 1) and Afghanistan (September 4) for company too.
Given the relatively short window between the training camp and their first international fixture, coach Jamil has made it crystal clear to D’Souza that he needs the fittest squad. “The coach has told me that my duty is to give him the fittest players so I’ve been busy making sure I do just that. Obviously, since we have limited time at the moment, I can’t focus on one-on-one training sessions, but I plan to work on that aspect with the players during the off-season,” said D’Souza.
