In a development that is expected to significantly shoot up the overall profile of the India Super League, it has been announced that legendary Brazilian footballer, Arthur Antunes Coimbra, has been signed on as the Head Coach of FC Goa.
Fondly known as Zico, the 61-year-old signed the contract today in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The representatives of FC Goa are expected to travel to his country soon to assist him in completing his visa formalities and bringing him to Goa.
The owners of the franchise, Srinivas Dempo, Venugopal Dhoot and Dattaraj Salgaocarwere extremely happy with this development and warmly welcomed Zico. Terming it”a proud moment”, they declared it an honor to have a legend of his stature coach the FC Goa team for the first season of the Indian Super League.According to a press release, Zico’s signing was made possible due to the efforts of Amaury Nunes and Beto D’Silva.
Zico’s High-flying Football Career
Also called “White Pele”, Coimbra made 71 international appearances between 1976 and 1986. In addition to being a former midfielder, he made his mark in the football world as one of the best playmakers and free-kick takers of his time. Coimbra came to be known for his ability to bend the ball in all directions. Having scored 48 goals for Brazil, his skills as a finisher and a passer are also renowned. He is the fourth-highest goal-scorer for his national team. He represented Brazil in 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups. The 1982 team was considered the best Brazilian national squad ever.
In 1999, Coimbra stood 8th in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote. In 2004, he was included in the list of FIFA’s 100 World’s Greatest Living Players. Over the years, he has coached the national teams of Japan between 2002 and 2006 and Iraq in 2011-12. The former appeared in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and won the 2004 Asian Cup under his aegis. In January 2009, he was announced as the Head Coach for the CSKA Moscow team for a period of 9 months.
Other Glamorous Associations in the Indian Super League
The India Super League consists of 8 teams representing Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Pune, Kerala, Mumbai and the North East. The league is off to a rather glamorous start with some of the leading names from the sporting and film world backing up these teams. Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and John Abraham are some of the celebrity co-owners of the 8 franchises.
The formation of India Super League is largely attributed to Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation.She believes that the foundation’s involvement in this league can have a significant impact on football and drive passion for sports across the nation.
Set to start on October 12ththis year, the finals for the first season of the League will be held on December 20th.