India U-16 coach Bibiano Fernandes has been talked up as one of the best examples of an upcoming Indian coach, says Savio Medeira, who is an AFC (Asian Football Confederation) coaching instructor.
"I think Bibiano is the best example," Medeira told Goal. "As a player also, he (Fernandes) was very calm and always gave his best in in all areas," he continued.
"Nobody thought that he would get to the level where he is. I feel that the boys are trying to respond to his attitude very well. His team's performances are also a good example to measure his progress."
Medeira also stated that a professional playing experience helps an aspiring coach but is not a necessity. "A lot of ex-players do attend (coaching) courses which is very good for us. It will help them to express much better on the field, although you cannot say that who has not played football cannot be a good coach. A playing background will however always be an added advantage."
Medeira went on to say that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) must give Indian coaches like Bibiano more chances to develop themselves.
"Somewhere we have to start believing in our local coaches. If we continue with him (Fernandes), the other coaches will also believe that 'we are getting somewhere'. It will be only a matter of giving them more confidence to go ahead.
"I would feel that if he (Bibiano) has done well at the AFC U-16 qualifiers. If you give him all the facilities and keep him in that age group for some time, where we can develop better players, that will form a good base," the former India coach reasoned.
Medeira also went on to praise FC Goa's decision to appoint Derrick Pereira as the team's Technical Director after he served as an Assistant Coach last season.
"If we really want to have a bright future for our youth, then he (Pereira) is the right person to set up a good youth system which we are lacking in Goa at the moment.
"Everybody knows that what (players) we had produced in the past and it is not the same today. I think he is the right man there to put the system back in place. I hope he gets all the support he needs and hope we can see some good players coming out," the 53-year-old concluded.
Medeira went on to praise the scouting initiatives started by the AIFF and Sports Authority of India (SAI), which has been led by former Indian international Abhishek Yadav. Ever since being appointed as the National Team's Director by the AIFF, Yadav has escalated the scouting projects for various age groups.
Medeira said, "Before we used to scout only from national championships but now Abhishek has started visiting various states and holding open selections. In this way, kids can get into the system and perhaps we can find one or few talented players who can be very useful in the future. So that is a very good step that we have incorporated."
Giving an update on the next big thing for Indian coaches in India, Medeira informed, "We are focusing on coach education at the moment and there will be a conference jointly hosted by the AIFF and AIFC (Association of Indian Football Coaches) in Mumbai next month. Our theme will be on grassroots and coach education. There are some good speakers coming in who were formerly affiliated with clubs such as Liverpool and Borrusia Dortmund."