The Indian National Women’s Team is going through a period of turmoil especially over the past two years. And the reality is not just down to sporting inefficiency alone but it also has to do with administrative calls and controversies under the current regime. The musical chair in naming different coaches in different friendlies and competitions in the last couple of years coupled with poor results has resulted in India being ranked 69th in the FIFA rankings, the lowest since the turn of century.
With water flowing over the bridge and also keeping the abovementioned challenges in mind, the AIFF Technical Committee has appointed Crispin Chettri as the new head coach ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers scheduled for June this year. The Odisha FC boss comes with a reputation as one of the most successful women’s football coaches in recent years, having won the IWL with Odisha FC against the odds last season. His task now is to steady the ship for the national team.
Fieldvision had the honour to speak with India’s boss for an exclusive interview before the National Team camp in Anantapur where the team is preparing for Pink Ladies Cup in UAE where they will play against Jordan, South Korea and Russia between February 20th to 26th. Read the excerpts here.
Initiation in football
Chettri for starters, is a very unknown figure to the Indian Football circuit and not many people know about him apart from his coaching achievements . To dissect more information about Chhetri we asked him to share something about himself that the world doesn’t know of and he says, “I was into all kinds of sports but then I thought I couldn’t go professional there, so chose football over it,” he starts off the conversation before adding, “We have good football culture in Darjeeling so I played football from my school days and joined local club United Kurseong FC. We used to participate in different tournaments and in the Governor’s Gold Cup in Sikkim I was spotted by Shyam Thapa Sir and was asked to join Williamson Magor Football Academy.”
Difference in coaching a Men’s team and Women’s team
Post his playing career, Crispin pursued a coaching career and started off at Mohammedan Sporting as an assistant coach before making a mark at Sethu FC. Having coached two teams across the biological sphere, he responded on the challenges of coaching two male and female teams, he said, “Women’s football is quite challenging when your whole life you spent in Men’s football , understanding the characteristics of Women players , biological demands , challenges they face from society but I am happy I shifted (to Women’s football) and loving the journey now.”
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On Raziya Khan controversy
Speaking of the challenges faced by Women in football in our country, the conversation moved to Raziya Khan, the Odisha FC youngster who was forced to take a drop from college inorder to sign a contract and play IWL this year. Raziya’s story made headlines when Azim Premji University in Pune refused to give her a break from compulsory attendance due to her sporting commitments.
Crispin shared his thoughts on the entire episode stating, “Raziya’s story is not the only one. There are many such cases like that and Raziya has potential to maybe represent the country. To encourage such talents we can get colleges who can give her scholarship at the same time let her focus on her footballing career. There’s no doubt that education is a must but it’s a difficult situation to have a clear perspective.”
On his coaching journey and the growth of IWL over the years
Crispin coached Sethu FC in IWL and then moved to the shores of Odisha, when questioned about the growth of IWL he answered, “With every passing year IWL is getting competitive…like I said from last year as it’s home and away gap between matches has helped coaches to point out mistakes on players and work on that as well as tactical aspects,” before insisting on more teams and more games in the league.
The IWL currently has eight teams battling it out and each team getting 14 games a season “Hope more teams will be added and a longer league and proper calendar for women teams from state league to national and IWL.”
On rivalry with Anthony Andrews
Crispin is the only coach who has defied the monopoly of Anthony Andrews and Gokulam Kerala in IWL. The rivalry between both the coaches is intense where Crispin led Sethu finished runners up in 2022 against Andrews led Gokulam Kerala . In the following season, Crispin led Odisha FC bowing out in the Quarter Final on penalties before Crispin getting a revenge last year with a title triumph.
However, for Darjeeling born coach, he doesn’t see it as a special rivalry and has his admiration for ‘experienced’ Anthony. He quipped, “I don’t think there is a rivalry between Anthony and me. We both are pushing each other to make better players so that our country does well.He has more experience with women footballers than me , he has worked with all National team players and his knowledge in this regard is more than me.”
While speaking of his last year title win he said, “For last year I think as I believe in having leaders and good character in the team then (individual) quality It helped me getting the title last year. However, not only Anthony but there are very good coaches in IWL who is challenging you in every game”
Thoughts on being named the national team coach
The conversation then moved to the National Team and he shared his delight on being named as a coach and said, “ I am humbled and thrilled to lead this talented group of players and work towards achieving greatness together. I am committed to developing a winning culture, enhancing player development, and making our nation proud.“
Moreover, he added, “It’s really massive to be part of the national team. I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead. Women’s football, I feel, is heading in the right direction, even though there are still a lot of challenges.”
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His thoughts on the challenges and controversies regarding Women’s NT and the need of more game time
Speaking about the challenges and controversies that made headlines around women’s football, Chettri acknowledged the need for stability along with the need for positive results.”I have been involved in women’s football for three to four years, and while there have been challenges and controversies, I prefer to focus on the positive—how we as a nation are moving forward. That is what truly matters,” he mentioned.
He also advocated the need for transition in the national teams and hinted that there will be difficult decisions made in the coming games.“I believe we have reached a phase where transition is necessary, and some tough decisions must be made. It’s about creating a larger pool of players to choose from through proper scouting, ensuring that every women’s football player gets a fair chance—not just those playing in the IWL,” Crispin announced in the interview.
What to expect in the Asian Cup Qualifiers?
The 2026 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers for Australia is set to kick off later this year. Crispin is wary about the challenge where the target is to be achieved in a short span of time. Believing in his process he said, “We can’t guarantee success, but we can always work towards it. We are willing to suffer for 1/2 yrs in this transition phase”
Remarks on conflict of interest accusations
With Crispin becoming the coach of the national team there has been a consensus of approval on his appointment by the Indian football fraternity while some have raised questions on the conflict of interest due to his dual role. Chettri shares his opinion on the matter and says , “It’s all about perspective. I am always willing to take on challenges, no matter what. My focus remains on developing women’s football and ensuring that our nation reaches the highest level of the game.”
The national team job will not be an easy ride for Crispin. He would have to navigate through difficult channels in order to steady the ship that is currently sailing in uncharted waters.
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