India's unwanted football coaches: Renedy Singh sacking highlights bias against homegrown tacticians

When Bengaluru FC decided to sack Renedy Singh despite the team sitting near the top of the table, it once again reignited a familiar debate in Indian football — why do Indian coaches rarely get the same patience or trust as their foreign counterparts? Are they not needed at the top in Indian football?

Renedy isn’t the only high-profile name to lose his job in recent days despite doing well. Indian women’s football coach Crispin Chhetri was also demoted from the top role to an assistant’s position after helping the team secure a historic qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.

His replacement, Amelia Valverde of Costa Rica, oversaw a disastrous campaign that included an 11–0 defeat to Japan.

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Valverde soon lost her job, and Crispin has now returned as head coach of the Blue Tigresses, underlining the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) blunder and our continued lack of faith in Indian coaches.

When Renedy, an AFC Pro License holder, was officially replaced by Spaniard Pep Munoz in late March, Bengaluru were just three points off the top in the Indian Super League (ISL). By his last game in charge, Bengaluru had 14 points from seven games, the same as title-chasing Mumbai City, Jamshedpur FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

Still, he had to go! Why? Possibly because there was no opening for an Indian coach. And it's not something that has been felt only by the outsiders. For many within the ecosystem, the decision reflected a broader pattern rather than a one-off episode. Indian coaches are often handed difficult situations, expected to stabilise teams quickly and then replaced once things settle down.

Renedy shown the door at BFC despite strong start

Former Pune City interim coach and Philippines Women U-17 head coach Pradhyum Reddy believes Renedy’s situation is far from unique.

“What happened to Renedy is the identical thing that happened in a way to me. But many years ago, this was in 2017, when I was in Pune City," Reddy told Firstpost. "After they sacked Miguel Angel Portugal, I was thrown in the next day, saying you have to help take over as an interim coach. And I coached nine games. Obviously, we didn't have as much preparation time. And to make matters worse, you know you're not getting salaries on time at Pune. So normally, when an Indian coach gets thrown in, it's because things are not fine in the club."

Reddy recalled that despite achieving notable results during his stint, it ultimately did not matter.

“My last two games, I won away to Kerala Blasters and I beat Sergio Lobera's FC Goa. And my reward for that is I was let go because they had to bring in a marquee foreign coach. Phil Brown has bought him. Those days, it was the ISL rule. Now they have removed that rule.”

The Renedy Singh episode, in his view, fits the same script.

“Now, Renedy was hired because, you know, Gerard Zaragoza had left. And at that time, there was a lot of uncertainty in India, in ISL and salaries were stopped. And what amuses me is you've made a decision not to retain foreign players, or you've let foreign players go because of salaries. BFC, for the first time in more than a decade, do not have a foreign striker, do not have a foreign defender and no foreign coaching staff. And Renedy was asked to manage with limited resources and he does, in my opinion, a fantastic job with limited resources.”

“So if he's delivering above expectations, I don't understand why the club let him go. It makes no sense.”

On AIFF’s handling of Crispin Chettri, Reddy did not mince words.

“You made one decision by replacing him before the tournament, and then you realised it's a mistake and then you went back to him. If I were in his position, I don't think I would have accepted it the way he has. But maybe that's why AIFF needs people who do as they are told, not people who have a strong opinion.”

Indian football's flawed system

Beyond hiring decisions, Reddy believes structural issues in Indian football have also hampered the development of coaches. The fast-tracking of former players into coaching roles has further complicated the landscape.

“When the ISL was formulated, they made this rule that it's mandatory for every club to have a Indian assistant. So what happened was you were getting tokenism.”

“Those were assistant coaches who were jokingly called BBC coaches. Your job was just balls, bibs and cones. So they didn't actually do any actual coaching.”

“Just because you have played the game at a high level doesn't automatically make you ready to coach at the highest level.”

Instead, he believes genuine coaching experience should matter more than reputation.

“That is where I think we've made a mistake. But Renedy was one of those who genuinely went back after his assistant coach tenure at Pune City. He realised he needed to get more coaching experience. He went back to Manipur, worked with the youth, did a very good job with the Classic Football Academy and worked his way up.”

“So he's done his hard yards. He finally gets into that position, doing a good job, but then loses it. I can understand if he's not doing a good job, but he was doing a good job. And then they force a change.”

“I think it's a bad image. That's for Indian coaches by BFC and their management...the optics are not good.”

Pradhyum Reddy helped the Philippines team qualify for the AFC Under-17 Women's Asian Cup. Image: Philippines football federation

The Scottish-born Pradhyum Reddy, who was the CEO of Dempo SC from 2022 to 2025, also pointed out that Indian coaches themselves must explore opportunities beyond the domestic ecosystem.

“When I chose to leave Dempo, I wanted to see what my opportunity was outside of India and I applied for a job. I got a job and I did well. I helped them qualify for the AFC Under-17 Women's Asian Cup. I didn't lose a game. So I've tested myself.”

“How many Indian coaches have gone out and tested themselves. There's nothing stopping you. There is no restriction. You can't go out and work right.”

For Indian football, the debate is not just about one top division club’s decision or the federation's appointment. It reflects a deeper question: will Indian coaches ever be trusted to build teams and systems of their own?