UNITE UNDER ONE VISION

Bahrain’s new football coach is determined to fill the national stadium with cheering fans after years of languishing in the soccer doldrums and suffering a series of competition crises.

He revealed his strategy to unite the various factions of the kingdom’s footballing family and is confident that such an approach will enable the country to compete in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals for the first time.

Sergio ‘Checho’ Batista, however, has had a baptism by fire after watching his new team lose 2-1 in the Philippines in the opening match of the tournament’s qualification rounds and says: “Things can only get better.”

As he sipped his espresso, the 52-year-old Spanish-speaking Argentinian smiled and shared his thoughts with GulfWeekly via a translator, confidently stating that golden glory is attainable for Bahrain, in his opinion, only if the way football is perceived in the kingdom changes.

He said: “I am confident that Bahrain can make it to the World Cup Finals but there is a lot of work to be done and nothing comes easy.

“People need to realise that football isn’t what it used to be. It’s harder now. Everyone has to have a plan, a training regimen and a strategy. We need to play just as hard if not harder and not take any team for granted.

“To get to the top, we need to build a strong squad but football in Bahrain is not professional … at least, not yet. There has to be a plan. We cannot go in blind or be unprepared for any challenge ahead.

“I came here to make a difference and in order to go far we must be prepared to change and improve on many things. I do not like joining a club or moving somewhere and not making a difference. “I could easily come here and coach the national team and go home without a worry in the world. But that’s not me!

“I want to prepare the football clubs and federation for the future. My aim is to develop the players we have here and not look to bring players in from abroad. We have a lot of talent in Bahrain but I think the players need to be more professional.

“Their lives should just revolve around soccer, not working and playing. All their time should be dedicated to the game.

“We must all think about change in football and this means the fans, the players, the clubs and its coaches and football directors. We must all unite under one vision for the betterment of the sport. “If we want to reach the World Cup Finals then we need to all be on the same page and have a plan. No team can qualify for a World Cup Final without a strategy and a well-executed plan.

“The Germans, for example, had an eight-year plan to achieve their title-winning dreams. We should emulate champions such as this and learn from their victories.”

Coach Checho is currently in talks with various club managers to show them his unified football plan for the year and to get their feedback as well as to brainstorm ideas with them on how to help the players and the federation keep its eye on the prize.

He believes that the kingdom needs more fitness coaches as some of the clubs don’t have any and that could help prepare the players not just for league matches but also for international games.

He said: “We need to start courses for fitness coaches, start introducing it in schools and encourage teens to take up sports education as a career path. We need to develop our youngsters as they are our future. Remember, football depends on physical fitness. Bahrain cannot run against the current as this is what is expected internationally.”

Also, Checho said he has noticed that the players are not getting enough time on the pitch as they are only playing 18 to 20 games a year. The coach added: “The players need to compete at a certain international standard. They should not be playing just 18 to 20 games a year which is not enough practice or preparation for them to compete against strong international teams and clubs.

“They should be playing at least 40 games a year to keep up their skill set and standards.

“What if we made only one football league? No more first division or second … we should simply have a 19-team league. When you combine the teams, then everyone will play at least 36 games in a year.

“There are many 23-year-olds who haven’t even played in a first team or have been given a chance to play internationally. They are usually substitutes and these are our future. The change needs to start from the youngsters that want to play.

“This is my intention or my idea. Right now in Bahrain I’m limited and I only have the first division players to choose from. But with 19 teams in the league, I can have more to go see and choose from.

“I understand that any change can be hard and this might be difficult for the clubs, but at some point we need to stand together to achieve our bigger goals. I respect the clubs and do not want to make anything difficult. This is for a higher purpose after all.”

The team’s next challenge is at home on September 3 against North Korea who made it into the World Cup Finals in South Africa in 2010 and is considered one of the favourites to progress to the tournament’s final group stages in Russia in 2018.

After the summer break, the Bahrain squad will resume training under coach Checho’s watchful eye and his technical team of assistant coach Osvaldo Rodriguez and fitness coaches Alejandro Daniel Tocalli and Diego Romancikas. He also hopes to bring in a goalkeeping coach in the near future to train his goal-stoppers as well as aspiring coaches.

He said: “After evaluating the squad, they will receive a two-day break followed by a 10-day boot camp abroad from Saturday to August 18. When we are back to Bahrain, we will play a friendly with Syria on August 25 and then have another two-day rest before focusing on the qualifier.

“We need to win this game and I am confident we will! But, we must keep in mind that North Korea has also prepared itself really well and we should not take that for granted.

“All our games should be played as though they are final games. The team needs to play with every part of their being, their emotions, their heart and their brain.

“You see we are trying to prepare the squad to play in that mind-set, as if it’s a final game, a championship game which they have to give their all to. The players are already starting to change their mind-set and think positively. They have been working really well with me.

“Also, we should always stay hopeful in the players and believe in ourselves. We will do whatever it takes to make it as far as possible in the qualifier. We know it’s not easy but just like how it’s not easy for us, it’s not easy for other teams as well.

“I am confident in what the Bahrain team is doing, in the training, my process and in the team’s abilities.”

The coach also urges the island’s football fanatics to let go of the past and look ahead to the future.

He added: “We can’t stop working and believing because of something that happened some time back. New Zealand was years ago. We need to stop dwelling on the past and move forward.

“What we need now more than ever is the support from the fans. They need to stand by their team. I am sure with time, we will get the crowds back to the stands to cheer on their team and be proud of their team.

“A lot of fans are waiting to see their flag fly high at a World Cup Final arena. They want to see their happiness and dreams come true through the Bahrain team and we hope to make that dream a reality.”