Stephen and the Media

Apollo Executive Review

Playing ball
Summer 2002

Until last year, English-Cypriot coach Stephen Constantine was the highest paid football manager in the world.

Never heard of him? Well, this claim was made by none other than The Sun, one of England's leading national newspapers, and is 100% accurate - from a certain point of view.

Stephen Constantine, born and raised in London to a Cypriot father and English mother, has had a career reminiscent of a Hollywood screenplay. A former player and youth coach in England, the USA and Cyprus, Stephen was also manager of the national team of Nepal.

Of course, his accolade as the 'highest' paid manager in the world comes entirely from his time coaching the Nepalese national squad at 15,000ft above sea level, but Stephen's time in Nepal is a great tale of triumph over adversity.

As a young man, Stephen had hopes of becoming a professional player and spent time with youth teams in the UK, Cyprus and the US, including Millwall, Chelsea, Enfield Town and AEL.

In 1989, cruciate damage brought his playing career to a premature end, however, and he was forced to move into coaching at the young age of 28.

Stephen became assistant coach of first division Apollon in Cyprus and over the next seven years went on to coach several other local teams, as well as performing scouting duties for the England Under 18s.

During this time, Stephen not only became the youngest top-flight manager in Cyprus, he also attained several of the FA's highest qualifications including the FA Advanced licence and the UEFA 'A' licence.

The FA continued to follow Stephen's progress with great interest and when the All-Nepali Football Association (ANFA) requested help in finding an English coach for their national squad, his name was top of the list.

Stephen grabbed the opportunity to manage a national team and set off for Nepal. What he found, however, was far from inspiring. The national team consisted of 35 players, all dressed in mismatched strips, who had notched up just two wins in the past five years. This wasn't going to be easy.

Stephen recalls the problems he faced, "When I arrived, the national team was a shambles, like something off Hackney Marshes. There was no physio or doctor and they had no proper kit or facilities.

They lived on rice and lentils. I changed their diet and got the players eating pasta and meat - even buffalo curry!"

But Stephen recognised potential in his team and, through the introduction of proper training methods, a balanced diet and sheer hard work, he shaped a squad which might, just might, have a chance of getting somewhere.

Aware that he had a lot of raw material to work with, Stephen set about boosting morale among the team and building on the squad's strengths.

As he observed, "A less talented team that fights for every ball and is prepared to battle for team-mates can sometimes overcome a better technical, but not together, team."

Stephen's job wasn't helped by the legendary good nature of the Nepalese. It might be a great virtue, but polite passivity really isn't something you want on a football pitch!

Stephen therefore set about rousing in his players that other aspect of the Nepal which is renowned throughout the world - the Gurkha. Starting with a 7-nil thrashing of Bhutan in the South Asian Federation games, Stephen's side went on to defeat Pakistan 3-1 and then the Maldives 2-1 in the semi-finals of the tournament. To inspire his squad for the semi-final match, Stephen even wore Nepal's national dress to the game, something no other coach had ever done before.

He remembers the time with fondness: "Our 3-1 win over Pakistan was a sensational upset, then we went on to beat the Maldives in the semi-finals and the Crown Prince turned up at the match - almost unheard of."

That the Crown Prince attended the match was a good example of how much Stephen's achievements had captured the hearts of the nation, and the people of Nepal responded to the successes of their national side with real passion. Fans began literally fighting in the streets to get hold of match tickets and Sherpa mountain guides went on strike, refusing to work until Nepal was knocked out of the competition!

"The country went absolutely nuts," remembers Stephen. "There was such a feel-good factor. I have never seen anything like it. It had been, I've been told, a very long time since the whole country was so united. It would have been fairy tale stuff if we could have won the gold."

Taking the Nepal squad to the finals of the SAF Games was an outstanding achievement and expectations were high. Sadly, the story wasn't to have a fairy tale ending. In the final against Bangladesh, despite dominating play for the entire 90 minutes, Nepal lost 1-nil to a single goal in Bangladesh's only attack of the game.

"I was in tears when we went up to receive our silver from the Crown Prince," Stephen recalls, "I was so gutted. It would have been brilliant to give them the gold, but it just wasn't meant to happen, I suppose."

Stephen's achievements earned him recognition in royal circles. He was summoned to the royal palace in Kathmandu to be presented with the Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Baahu Medal (the Nepalese equivalent of an OBE) by His Majesty the late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. The King and much of the royal family lost their lives in the tragic events of last year, events which saddened Stephen deeply.

As if his achievements in the SAF Games weren't enough, Stephen also guided the national under-16 squad to the finals of the Asian Youth Championship and was invited to become a FIFA instructor - an important acknowledgement of his abilities that sees him ranked among the world's top coaches.

Sadly, Stephen's time in Nepal came to an end on March 18th 2001 when, tired of relentless political bickering between two ANFA factions, he resigned his post and returned to the UK. With no sign of any solution to the behind-the-scenes problems of Nepalese football, Stephen decided that to move on would be the best thing for his career.

But Stephen's achievements in Nepal live on. During his two years there, he established youth development academies in different parts of the country with the help of FIFA and still believes that, correctly managed, Nepal could grow into a real force in South Asian football.

At present, Stephen is back in England, working with the Bournemouth Under-15s, running an academy for Chichester College and contributing regular columns to www.soccernet.com.

His attempts to find a post with a major team have yet to bear fruit, despite interest from several clubs, but there is hope on the international front.

India has expressed an interest in securing his services for the national team, a challenge which Stephen is keen to face. For now, Stephen continues his career in the UK with regular visits back to Cyprus.

Whatever happens in the future and wherever Stephen finds himself employing his talents, it promises to add another fascinating chapter to an intriguing career. After all, Stephen has already been to the top of the world, so where next?

BACK IN THE BOX

Expect to hear a great deal more about Stephen Constantine in the near future. As this magazine went to print, Stephen was officially appointed as the national team coach for India. "I am delighted," said Stephen, speaking to Apollo Executive. "It is a big job, but one I think I am equal to. The contract should be for three years and our first task will be the Asian Games in Korea, so we have a few months to prepare."

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