Not being part of team selection is not a problem at all, Brazilian football legend and newly-appointed coach of the Indian Super League (ISL) franchise FC Goa Zico said Tuesday, claiming his job was to train the players.
Zico was speaking during an interaction with the media Tuesday, his first formal briefing after he was signed up by FC Goa.
Asked if it was a handicap to train a football team which he has not helped pick, Zico said: "I do not see any problem. Players belong to the club and not the trainer. It's up to the board of directors to select the players, my job is to train them".
He illustrated his point by recalling his brief coaching stint with the Iraqi national team in 2011.
"When I went to Iraq, the selection was already done and I had just five days," he said.
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Zico contextualized his argument further using Brazilian footballing culture as a point of reference.
"If we lose four matches in Brazil, the coach is sent home. In England, coaches are there for 12-17 years. This is a problem of cultures of different countries," Zico said.
"When I meet players on Thursday my job is to make them better players, so they do well. That is my job," Zico further said.
Zico also said that considering the fact that he only has a small window of association with the team (Zico is expected to be with FC Goa for three months-odd), he will have to get his act together quickly and that the aim of club was to win the final and win it.
"The objective is to reach the final. The objective is to win. I am optimistic. We have to keep the objective in mind. We have to prepare well; I need to know each and everyone as fast as possibly. I have to share my philosophy in a very short time," he said.
