Bob Houghton

New Delhi: National coach Bob Houghton on Monday said people without a coaching degree shouldn’t be encouraged to do club coaching in India.

Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph, the 59-year-old British coach said he was totally against appointing coaches just because they happened to be former players.

Houghton is currently in the capital for the national camp of the ONGC International Cup beginning in Gurgaon on Wednesday.

“Top clubs in India should refrain from appointing people without a proper degree at the helm of affairs,” said Houghton without naming anyone in particular. “It is ridiculous to appoint any old footballer without a degree as coach.”

Houghton felt that in order to standardise the coaching process, all coaches in India should at least have the AFC coaching licence degree.

“It is good that the AIFF is soon making it mandatory for all coaches to have a coaching licence.”

The national coach is also planning to meet coaches of the Professional League teams next month to exchange views. “The meeting might take place sometime between July 7 and 13 in Delhi,” he said.

Asked whether he would plead the case for a uniform physical training programme in all the major clubs, Houghton said he has no as such plan in mind.

“We would exchange views and look forward for a collective improvement of things at all level.”

The ONGC International Cup, to be held in Delhi in August, could be the beginning in the revival of Indian football, Houghton felt.

“Starting with the ONGC Cup, the national team would be playing 15 matches this season. It would certainly help us in improving the standard.”

For Houghton, the 2006-07 season was simply frustrating. “In the entire season, the senior national team played only three matches,” he said.

“No national team in the world can afford to play so few matches and still hope to improve at the international level. If India were down to 165 in the Fifa rankings, it was not because we played badly. It was simply because we didn’t play at all.”