Coach Stefanowski must take more assertive position

Polish born American Jack Stefanowski is back on the saddle as head coach of the national football team of Nepal. This time he is sans assistant coach Richard Orlowski.

It may be recalled that the American Polish duo had taken   charge of Team Nepal just before the last SAFF Championship held in Kathmandu.

After they completed their   one year contract, All   Nepal   Football Association (ANFA) decided not   to retain the two. Since then the national squad was without a   coach.

Former international Raju Shakya   was in charge     for the two recent friendlies against Yemen and Philippines. There were speculations   that he would be approached to manage the national team but it did not materialize.

In my opinion, it   would have been worthwhile to try him. However, not many people knew   ANFA was already in talks with   Coach Stefanowski and were trying to decide whether   to give him another chance.  

Coach Stefanowski’s re-appointment as head coach of Team Nepal took everyone by complete surprise. ANFA   kept his new contract under wrap for reasons beyond comprehension. Even the press was kept in the dark much to everybody’s chagrin.

The hiring or rehiring of a foreign coach is a very important development and always a subject of interest. The contract details of Coach Stefanowski’s should have been made public at all cost.

Let us not forget that   ANFA is   not   a   private   or personal property, unfortunately, it appears to look so under the leadership of Ganesh   Thapa. 

There is nothing much to write about Coach Stefanowski when it comes to his character, style, approach, qualities, expertise and professionalism.

As a matter of fact, a lot was heard and written about him when he took charge of the struggling national team of Nepal, a little over a year ago.

His appointment then was greeted with euphoria and guarded optimism.  He   faced   a grim challenge from the very outset and   achieved   limited success, despite his best efforts. He did what he could under challenging circumstances. 

Also a year   was   too short for him to   produce some kind of results.

To   be fair, it is a huge stupendous challenge for any coach, be it home grown or foreign to train the national team, considering the sorry state of Nepal football. And things go from bad to worse when ANFA intervenes   and    tells   the coach what he should or should not do.

Apparently, expectations soar high when someone from outside the country is tapped   for the head coach position regardless of the situation. Getting    the desired results is always the sole purpose behind this idea of hiring a foreign coach.

It is already proven that, simply   hiring   a foreign coach is not the answer or solution. More than anything, there is a far larger question   at issue than the effectiveness and success of a foreign coach.

Here I am talking   about the    systemic problem plaguing Nepal football, over several decades. As long as   it   is   not addressed and   tackled, even the top foreign coaches cannot do anything.  

Of course, the guilty party is ANFA, responsible for the overall development of football.  They have   done very little to boost the production of coaches and this has resulted in   a shortage of quality home grown coaches.

That being said, there are    a handful of    qualified home grown coaches around    who   certainly deserve a break. I have no doubts in my mind; they   are equally good and capable as their foreign counterparts. They should be given a chance to prove themselves.  Ironically, ANFA keeps ignoring them.

On a personal note, I am somewhat disappointed with Coach   Stefanowski   for refusing to answer my questions. After his yearlong contract ended, I wanted   him to relate his personal experience and opinion of having worked with Team Nepal and   ANFA.    

I wish Coach Stefanowski every success and hopefully he demonstrates the highest degree of professionalism, personal integrity and honesty. Also he needs to take a more assertive   position   when dealing with ANFA on all matters pertaining to   players and team’s   interest and needs.

He must learn to work smartly, without getting bogged down by ANFA’s interference and bureaucracy. Otherwise, it could spell disaster for him.