Stephen Constantine, Malawi National Team Head Coach, African nations cup Malawi, UEFA PRO Licence holder, USSF C Licence, USSF A Licence

Stephen and the Media

The Argus

Rejected: Stephen Constantine could not find a coaching position in Great Britain and thinks it's because he was not a big name player

Nepal Coach on the top of the World

The name Stephen Constantine won't mean much to anyone in this country, but in Nepal he's a national hero.

Stephen, who lives in Brighton with his wife Lucy and two daughters Paula and Christiana while in England, has received the Nepalese equivalent to the
OBE, the Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Baahu medal.

He collected this royal honor from King Birendra after guiding their national team to runners-up of the South Asian Games last year to
become the most successful coach in Nepal ever.

But 38-years-old Stephen cannot find an English professional coaching job and believes it is because he was not a big name
player.

"Club chairmen always opt for ex-star footballers, regardless of their coaching credentials, " said Stephen " English is the only
major European country where you don't require a coaching license.

"Steve Bruce is a perfect example. The Haddonfield chairman admitted after sacking him that Bruce was a great player, but a poor
coach.

"That's why when Kevin Deegan left the England job, the FA were left with a small list of coaches to choose from in this country.
Peter Taylor would've been the only man who seriously could've done the job, because he has seen the game at all levels as a coach,
from Dover at non-league to Leicester in the Premiership. Potential up-and-coming coaches are being starved of the opportunities to
climb the ladder and there's serious shortage of quality coaches in the professional English game because of this.

"Gerard Houllier and Arsene Wenger have done well because they were giving opportunities in their home country despite not being former top players.

"Just because some one has played at a certain level doesn't give that person the right to think he knows all the answers. It's a continuous learning
process that will never end. All coaches should be qualified no matter where they have played."

Stephen, who had played semi-professional football in English with Enfield, Cyprus and the United States, started coaching after ligament damage curtailed
his playing career.

He has attended various courses over the years and achieved the English, US and UEFA Advantage Licenses. Stephen went on to coach teams in the US and Cyprus
before landing the Nepal job 18 months ago after being recommended by the FA and Asian Football Confederation.

"I received a letter from the FA asking whether I'd be intere4sted in coaching in Asia, " said Stephen. "I was looking for such
an opportunity and answered yes.

"I'd just arrived in New York and been offered a job in North Carolina when I received a fax from Cambodia as to my availability. This
fell though, but then someone recommended me to Nepal.

"After a couple of telephone conversations, I was in Kathmandu within two days to take over the job."

Nepal had won only two matches in the previous five years, but Stephen turned their fortunes around. Not only did his unfenced team qualify from their
group in the South Asian Games; they made it all the way to the final, losing 1-0 to Bangladesh.

The country went crazy and Stephen has since become a celebrity in the Himalayas region, and receiving the royal award will remain one of his proudest moments.

Stephen said: "It was totally unexpected and even now I can't believe it. I was told that i was the first and only football coach to have received this award and I'm delighted.
They told me it was for outstanding contributions to the development of football in Nepal."

But coaching in Asia has not only bought him success, but educated him about a different culture and the way football operates outside the privileged continents of Europe and America.

He said: "The poverty is the first thing that hits you, but the people are tremendous and are always willing to help as nothing is too much bother. There are many things that we don't have
here and the culture is different, but we've settled in well.

"As far as the Nepal team, things were in slight disarray, because they had had several coaches in the previous 18 months, all with various styles of coaching. So the players were a bit fed up.

"It was a difficult job getting them to believe I was not going to leave if things got tough. We managed to turn things around."

The way he manage to do this was impressive and not many people gave his side a chance of getting to the South Asian Games finals.

He said: "It was amazing. Most thought we'd not get out of the qualifying group and reaching the actual final was against all the odds.

" It was a magical moment and restored a lot of national pride. I'm still pinching myself now, not believing it actually happened."

His lifestyle is good. He receives a healthy wage, expenses and a luxurious house overlooking the Himalayas. He comes back to England with his young family a couple of times each year.

While he was back in Brighton, he applied for various vacant manager posts in the Football League and don't even get an interview.

However, as he manages in the mountainous region, he can at least claim to be the highest paid manager in the world!