Ian Andrew Gillan, the new coach of Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC
The over dependence on foreign players in domestic leagues is hampering the growth of Indian football, according to Ian Andrew Gillan, the newly appointed head coach of Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC during an interaction with the media here on Monday evening.
“In all domestic leagues in India including the ISL and IFL, the key players are foreign stars. This hinders the development of Indian players. The main objective of these leagues should be to nurture the Indian players,’’ said Gillan who guided Calicut FC to the title in the inaugural edition of Super League Kerala (SLK).
Gillan pointed out that SLK was different from other leagues in this regard as the onus was on player development.
“The SLK rule that mandates two native under-23 players in the playing XI helps in their development and creates players of international standards. I talk from my own experience.
“I remember an under-23 player who played for Calicut FC figuring in the ISL, the top tier league in the country, in the same season and it represents his growth as well as that of SLK. If I find an Indian player better than a foreign player for a certain position, I will definitely play him,’’ he said.
The 61-year-old Scottish-Australian coach. who has had coaching stints in Australia, England, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Nepal, said Kombans will not disappoint their fans and will be keen to improve their poor home record this season.
“From the little time I spent with the boys, I feel we have a squad that is strong enough to face any challenge. I assure the Kombans fans that they will give their 100 percent this season. As far as tactics goes, it will be flexible depending on the opponents and the situation we are in, ‘’ he said.
The Thiruvananthapuram Kombans, which fielded foreign players mostly from Brazil in the first two seasons, will have a multi-national roster this time and will open its campaign against Gillan’s former club Calicut FC in an away match in Kozhikode on September 26.
Published – September 15, 2026 06:50 pm IST
