Panaji: Bibiano Fernandes is expecting an urgent call from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).The India U-16 coach’s short-term contract with the AIFF ended with the memorable win against Iran last night. Now with the team making it to the AFC U17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia next year, a new improved deal is expected to be inked, and of course, there are plans to be drawn to ensure that India is in best shape for the continental tournament in May.This will be India’s tenth assignment at the continental stage, and for Bibiano, it will remarkably be the fourth time he is managing the team. His record in the Qualifiers is impeccable: four out of four, since 2018.“This was the most difficult campaign because we didn’t have a long camp and exposure tours like in the past,” Bibiano told TOI on Monday. “It was difficult for the boys in the Qualifiers. We knew it would be a tough task and the challenge was to keep the boys motivated, make them believe that we can qualify.”Nobody had more belief than Bibiano that India can make it to the AFC U17 Asian Cup. It is precisely for this reason that the former midfielder from Goa quit a secure two-year contract at Bengaluru FC to take up the India assignment on a short-term basis. “(Training) Reserves wasn’t really for me. When I got an offer (to work) for the national team, I said, this is where I want to work, and this is how I want to work.”Seeing his desire, Bengaluru agreed to free him from his contract.At the Qualifiers in Ahmedabad, India started gingerly with a draw against Palestine, put it across Chinese Taipei and then lost to Lebanon in what turned out to be an inconsequential tie. In the end, it all came down to the ‘final’ against Iran, which India won 2-1 to top the group and qualify.“The win against Iran proves that we are not short of talent in India. I’ve seen different batches and one thing we cannot deny is the talent at our disposal. Against Iran, a powerhouse, we knew they had better players in every position. They were strong physically and our best chance was to defend really, really well. Because if we held them, we would surely have our chances,” explained Bibiano.For someone who has won five SAFF titles and dedicated his life to shaping India’s future in football, qualification isn’t enough. He wants to take India to the World Cup and that’s only possible if the team makes it to the semifinals in Saudi Arabia, a goal that Bibiano has set for himself and the team.“With the first batch (in 2018), we made it to the quarterfinals (before losing to South Korea). If we can prepare the way we did that year and make it to the quarters, it’s anybody’s game. We are very close (to qualification), just have to do what’s needed from our side and play our part well. We have to get these boys at the highest level possible.“We have to start scouting immediately. We have a batch of 23 players, there’s a need to scout for another 23, merge and finalise the best (team). Exposure is a must too. Playing these matches in qualifiers, we have improved so much. If we go into any qualifier, we will be a different team. We need to play these kind of qualifiers, higher-level matches,” said Bibiano.
