Might lose job if we don’t win trophy but risks are must: Crispin Chettri

Margao: Crispin Chettri walked the talk at the SAFF Women’s Championship in Goa.
In his pre-tournament media interaction, the India coach spoke of how winning the regional championship after a seven-year wait would look good on his CV, but if he didn’t provide chances to younger players, it wouldn’t mean anything. For someone who’s on probation with the national team – his contract ends on Sunday – it would have been understandable if he worked towards securing his long-term future.
Instead, he was willing to take the risks.
In the opener against Maldives, Crispin fielded several under-20 players, made six changes for the all-important clash against defending champions Bangladesh and left experienced players like Sangita Basfore, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa and Grace Dangmei on the bench against Bhutan in the semis.
“If we don't take risks, with these (younger) players, we will not progress,” Crispin told TOI during a recent training session at Don Bosco ground, Fatorda. “I think just winning the SAFF Championship won't help us in the long term. We have to test these girls. We can play a friendly match and give chances, but friendlies don’t help in judging the mindset.
“We can only judge the mindset of these players during competitions. That’s why I took some (young) players to Kenya (for the FIFA Series). There too I tried a few. I tried them in competition, to see how they would react. Sanfida (Nongrum), for example, did a good job while under pressure (against Bangladesh). Then we know who we want to have as part of a core (group of players) for longer future.”
India’s qualification to the AFC Asian Cup 2026 with a win against World Cuppers Thailand, in their own den, with Crispin as coach, showed women footballers can punch above their weight. Even at the SAFF Championship, India have rarely looked in discomfort.
“Here, we are largely a group of under-22 players. With this group we can play two AFC (Asian Cup) competitions. FIFA has decided to expand the number of participating teams in the Women’s World Cup from 32 to 48 for the 2031 edition. We have a realistic chance. I know I might lose my job by not winning a thing, but as a football lover, we must start taking risks,” said Crispin.
India face Bangladesh in the final of the SAFF Women’s Championship on Saturday. There is a trophy at stake, reputation and regional pride too. Besides, there is the chance to end a seven-year wait. Now that they are within touching distance of the trophy, Crispin will not leave anything to chance.
“Development of players is important. Sometimes results are important too. We want to keep winning because of our FIFA ranking. We have to decide which games we can field youngsters. For the final, we will go with our strongest team. Bangladesh will do the same. We want to go and win, bring the trophy home,” said Crispin.