Reports: Fernando Couto starts coaching job in India

Jan 17, 2012, 11:47 GMT

Lisbon - Former Portugal star player Fernando Couto will start his coaching career in India at a club in Kolkata, local news reports said on Tuesday.

'I will coach a club in Kolkata. It never made a secret out of wanting to become a coach,' Couto was quoted as saying.

Couto named the job 'a huge challenge' and said he wanted to help 'develop basic structures in (Indian) football.'

The 42-year-old will give up his job and follow players such as Fabio Cannavaro (38 years, Italy), Jay-Jay Okocha (38, Nigeria), Robbie Fowler (36, England), Fernando Morientes (35, Spain), Hernan Crespo (36, Argentina) and Robert Pires (38, France) to India.

The Indian football association will hold a six-team tournament between February 28 and April 8 in order to make football more popular in the country where cricket and hockey are the number one sports.

Two of the teams are to be coached by former England players John barnes and Colin Todd.

Couto won 110 Portugal caps over 14 years from 1990 until 2004, second to record international Luis Figo 8127 caps). He ended his playing career - which included terms at Porto, Parma, Lazio and Barcelona - in 2008.

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