Former Dutch international Wim Koevermans to coach Indian football team for two years

Jun 15, 2012 |

New Delhi

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Former Dutch international, Wim Koevermans, who was on Friday appointed as Indian football coach for a two-year term, said he will try and gradually get the senior team to adopt possession football, besides giving opportunities to young talents.

"Football, nowadays, is about possession game and keeping the ball, and Indian players are capable of doing that...that increases the chances of winning. Will slowly move towards that style of play with national team, but from the start in academies," Koevermans said after his appointment.

"I come from a country where young players are given chances and that's what I will try and bring in here," he added.

The 52-year-old former central defender, whose tenure will be effective from July 1, was a member of The Netherlands team that won the European Championship in 1988 in West Germany.

Koevermans gave the impression that he is aware of the standard of football in India and termed his appointment a "challenging" one.

"Development of football in India is a great target, I hope to increase the level and standard of football in India. Development of football is a big task in India."

The Dutch also told the reporters here that he knows a thing or two about Indian football.

"I have been informed quite well about Indian football. Have seen a lot of videos and I can say I am very positive about what I have seen," he said.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said Koevermans fits the bill appropriately.

"Wim fits the bill appropriately, he has an extremely impressive CV. Wim is a UEFA pro licence coach," Das said.

Currently the High Performance Director at Ireland, Koevermans was part of the system that produced world class players like Robin Van Persie, Wesley Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

"It's a always great to work with very talented players but that's in the past."

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