Owen Coyle: India should make use of more talents from abroad like Ryan Williams

Ryan Williams’ goal in the AFC Cup Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong China here three weeks ago was perhaps the bright spot in a bleak season for Indian football. In fact, the Australian-born striker’s inclusion in the Indian team is the best thing to happen to Indian football in a long time.

That should open the door to more players like Williams, who grew up abroad but are eligible to represent India. Owen Coyle, the widely respected coach with extensive experience in India and a former striker who has played in the English Premier League and for Ireland, believes India should look out for such talents from abroad.

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And Coyle, who is back in India as coach of Jamshedpur FC, reminds us that he is qualified to speak about it. “I was born in Scotland to Irish parents but grew up in Ireland, which I was able to represent in international football,” he said Sports stars.

«My father left Donegal in Ireland to go to Scotland for work. My point is that if an Indian couple from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai or Kolkata leaves the country and goes to Manchester and has a child, that child is no less Indian for being born in Manchester: he is as Indian as anyone else. The diaspora of India around the world is incredible, so there should be plenty of football talent available.»

He believes that India has the potential to do much better in international football and that the ISL has done many things right. “What I can say from experience is that when I came to India, the stadiums and the playing fields were of a very high standard,” says Coyle, whose first assignment in India was with Chennaiyin FC, whom he took from the bottom of the table to the ISL finals in 2019/20. «What we want to do is encourage more fans to come. I was in Chennai with 11 million people, and you want fans to come to the stadium and support the team.»

Coyle, who has experienced the joy of being promoted to the Premier League both as a coach and as a player (at Bolton Wanderers and Burnley respectively), wishes the Indians were more loyal. “I think in India there is an element, maybe not with all teams, but there is an element of fans supporting their team when they win,” he says. “That should change.”

Published on April 20, 2026