The 2018 edition of the FIFA Technical Directors’ workshop kicked off in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Delegates from five member associations – Iran, Oman, Syria, Sri Lanka and India – attended the opening ceremony, which was kicked off by All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das.

The workshop mainly aims at empowering the Technical Directors with the knowledge exchanged from the other federations, to help enhance their technical knowledge to help improve coaching licenses in their respective countries.

“It’s great that we are having the workshop here. It’s a pilot project that is following up from the 2016 workshops in Dubai and Kochi,” said Das. “It’s wonderful to get all the Technical Directors together to share knowledge and exchange ideas.”

Apart from Das, the AIFF was also represented by Technical Director Savio Medeira, Head of Administration – Technical Department Pushpargha Chattopadhyay and former TD Richard Hood.

Madeira believes that through this workshop, the technical directors from the various member associations can enhance their knowledge about coaching in the country, which will eventually help the coaches in their respective nations.

“This workshop is mostly about technical things, eg the role a Technical Director can play in coach education. Although we are trying to do our best, when it comes to FIFA, there are many things we can learn,” said the AIFF Technical Director.

“So once we get the Capacity-building session underway, there may be so many points on which we will be able to make a headway,” Medeira continued. “It can always help us in putting across these points in out coach education programmes, and help our coaches get better.”

Shaji Prabhakaran, who has worked with FIFA as the regional development officer in South Asia, and is currently Football Delhi Chief opined that this exchange of ideas would help India.

“This exchange obviously helps because they all have done something successfully in football, and we can all help each other. This exchange of knowledge is especially important for India, as we have a lot to learn from the experts in the other federations,” Prabhakaran said.

(AIFF Media)