Exclusive: South United's Terry Phelan opens up on football academies and predicts THIS team to win Euro 2024

Indian football has seen a meteoric rise in recent times with youth academies taking the focus and laying the foundation for its growth. One such academy is Bengaluru’s South United Football Club which is helping the next generation of Indian football stars to grow. With an eye on the youth, the club has invested in basic facilities including hiring foreign coaches and setting up state-of-the-art training grounds. South United’s Sporting Director Terry Phelan lifted the lid on the club’s structure in an exclusive conversation with WION.

Phelan also spoke on Indian football and what they need to do while selecting the next national team head coach. He asserted that Stimac had a tough job in hand and reckons Indian football has grown in different departments. The former Manchester City, Chelsea and Ireland left-back also backed England to come good during the ongoing Euro 2024 while speaking to WION’s Aditya Pimpale.

Question: What are the set of challenges you faced having taken over as the Sporting Director of South United Football Club?

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Answer: I have travelled around the world and have been to different cultures where I have seen a host of challenges. So what I believe is you have to sit at a table and find solutions to those challenges which includes everyone at South United Football Club. I can’t point a finger at one challenge as there are many challenges but the biggest challenge for me was the Covid-19 pandemic where we needed to stay together.

I will give a special thanks to owner Sharan Parikh, the board of directors for staying with the team and believing in the process.

Question: How were the operations in the club when you joined and what changes have you made to grow the club?

Answer: The biggest change we needed was creating an environment suitable to play football which was our primary challenge. We are now focused on junior development programmes to youth development programmes as we try to build a structure for the growth of players. We are adding to our own ecosystem and strengthening the current facilities that are there at our disposal.

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Question: You were positive about Igor Stimac and his reign as head coach of the Indian football team, so what was your take when he was sacked as the manager?

Answer: I have been in India for the last 10 years and I have seen Indian football grow in different landmarks. The Indian national team head coach job is one of the most difficult jobs in the world I believe with almost 250 applications for the post. I think Indian football needs to grow step-by-step with the first target being the continental stage. Before setting the World Cup as a target plan, India needs to become a powerhouse in Asia.

I think to take the next stage the AIFF has to be open to the idea of change and should get into the philosophy of the new manager.

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Question: Will Gareth Southgate face a sack with the criticism he has faced lately?

Answer: Tournament football is all about winning and Gareth Southgate has England what they need to do. He might not have played the most attractive brand of football, but what he is doing is winning 1-0 and that’s all that matters. Fans are vocal, but to sit there for eight years and get the job done is a different pressure altogether.

Question: Is England missing the services of Luke Shaw at the Euro 2024?

Answer: Luke Shaw is a big miss for England and they are struggling to cope without him at the moment. Maybe he comes in at the later stage of the tournament or they have Kieran Tripper playing who is also injured now. They are also planning to have Bukayo Saka in that position but you know they have a good chance of winning this Euro mainly because of the draw they have at the moment. Again I would say tournament football is all about winning and I won’t be surprised if they won the whole thing.