Legendary Brazilian footballer and FC Goa coach, Zico feels that the participation of too many foreign players will not help Indian football in the long run. He believes that Indian footballers should be given more oppurtunities in the league. Currently, 6 foreign players are supposed to start in the starting XI alongside 5 Indians.

IBN Live quoted Zico: “I think the difference with Japan was that they didn’t bring in too many foreign players. In my opinion at the ISL it’s not too good to have too many foreigners playing. The minimum of 5 Indian players is too less in my opinion. Since it’s the ISL, we have to encourage more Indian football.”  Zico has formerly managed the Japan international side and also has the experience of coaching in the J-League.

FC Goa is currently places at the bottom of the Indian Super League table with just a solitary pint from 4 games. On the poor show of the Goa franchise he said, “We lost some games but we can also win and move on. We created some good opportunities and had chances but didn’t manage to convert them, even though we played well.

“This is the magic about football. Sometimes a team plays very well but doesn’t score, while another team comes and scores. But then, that’s how football is.”

Many of the crucial first team players will miss the team’s next outing against Delhi Dynamos on Saturday. “We never think it’s only 11 players, we have a group of 27 players. All 27 players are ready to play. Some are injured but the others are fit and ready to play. Players have been picked for the team because they are good and they are prepared to play. So I’m not too worried about that. I told them that they have to be prepared to play at any time, in any situation,” the Brazilian legend opined.

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