Churchill Brothers FC will face Punjab FC in their opener on Sunday

PANAJI: Churchill Brothers FC have been forced to rope in a new coach just a couple of days ahead of their I-League opener against Punjab FC on Sunday.

Portuguese coach Bernardo Tavares, who took lessons under ‘The Special One’ Jose Mourinho during his time at Uniao de Leira, is expected to take charge of the team next week.

Edward Ansah was Churchill’s coach for the season and the former Ghana goalkeeper was trying his best at the club, leading them to the top of the table in the Goa Professional League . Even in friendlies, there were some encouraging results against Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, but Ansah cannot continue as head coach after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said his coaching licences were not as yet approved by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Ansah, Ghana goalkeeper coach for two successive World Cups – 2006 in Germany and 2010 in South Africa – has an ‘A’ license from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the body that governs the sport in Africa. However, according to AIFF guidelines, that may not be enough.

“Our rules say that any licence apart from the one issued by AFC needs to be reconfirmed by the AFC. We have sent the documents to AFC, but have not received any feedback,” I-League CEO Sunando Dhar told TOI on Wednesday.

According to I-League regulations, head coach of any I-League club needs a minimum of AFC ‘A’ licence or its equivalent, while the assistant coach needs a minimum of AFC ‘B’ licence or its equivalent.

“I think this is unfair. The coaching manuals for Asia, Europe and Africa are the same. The fact that African coaching licence is not accepted discredits our continent,” said Ansah, who has also coached top-tier clubs in Ghana and South Africa.

Churchill are understood to have already concluded talks with Portuguese coach Tavares to land here as early as possible. According to sources, the Portuguese coach has now applied for a visa but will not be in the dugout when Churchill make their I-League debut against Punjab FC on Sunday.

“He is a young coach and has experience of working in Europe, Africa and Asia. He is a UEFA Pro Licence holder and should be able to improve the team significantly,” said a source.

Bernardo’s last six coaching assignments with senior teams – all as head coach – have been with FC Tirsense, GD Tourizense (both Portugal ), Al Nahda (Oman), African Lyon FC (Tanzania), New Radiant (Maldives) and Benfica de Macau (Macau), his last stint in 2018.

Significantly, the 39-year-old has won the leagues with two clubs – Maldives League in 2017 and Premier League Macao in 2018 – and took Al Nahda to mid table in the Oman League, after taking charge of the team when they were placed at the bottom with just three wins from 12 matches.

