My work starts now, says Savio Medeira

New Delhi: For someone who's rarely heard, Savio Medeira can make you listen when asked to speak. Amidst the din that followed India's SAFF Cup win over Afghanistan, Medeira raised his voice that one notch to tell anyone who bothered to pay attention that it felt good to win the South Asian football title now as coach after he had won it as a player.

He may have felt instantly foolish to have to remind the gathered media on when and how he did it first, but Medeira was rightfully claiming his piece of the trophy.

On Sunday, few remembered Medeira as the quiet, assured midfielder alongside the equally silent Tushar Rakshit in a 1997 tournament in Kathmandu that was drowned in the clamor of a petulant Nayeemuddin-Bhutia spat; on Sunday, not many noticed a calm and bespectacled gent by the Indian bench as his 'unprepared' team managed to silence a few sceptics.

"True, the game's standard today is greater than 14 years ago, both tactically and fitness-wise, but that team had more talent," Mederia told TOI on Monday, as he prepared for life after SAFF success. Facile or far-reaching, this sub-continental meet that India never fails to make heavy weather of, forever hangs in balance.

"The AFC Challenge in March next year is clearly the more important task," he says. "Like my players who join their clubs without rest, my work too starts right away. I'll be watching I-League games, hoping to find some new talent."

The Times Of India