Raj Athwal interview: 'Sergio Lobera wants to entertain and win, that's what Odisha FC's identity is about'

Over the last year or so, Odisha FC have been on a gradual rise in Indian football. Not long back, in 2020, the team were reeling in last place in the Indian Super League (ISL) with just 12 points (two wins). Fast forward three years, the Bhubaneshwar-based club have made the ISL playoffs once and even won the prestigious Super Cup. And ahead of the 2023/24 domestic football season, Odisha did some serious business, bringing in the likes of star Fijian striker Roy Krishna, former Mumbai City duo Ahmed Jahouh and Mourtada Fall while also acquiring Amey Ranawade on loan from the same club. Odisha FC are building a strong core team for the future and with new manager Sergio Lobera, they have a dynamic, experienced coach who believes in attacking football and possession-based play along with some intricate passing. Raj Athwal, Odisha FC’s club president, believes the club and coach Lobera are a good match as the new Indian Super League (ISL) season is upon us. In a chat with Firstpost, Raj Athwal spoke on Odisha FC’s recent Super Cup success, long-term vision, the upcoming ISL season and more: Excerpts from the interview Congratulations on Odisha FC’s fantastic achievement of winning the Super Cup and qualifying for the AFC Cup. As the president of the club, how does it feel to see the team’s remarkable transformation from finishing last in 2020 to winning a trophy? I joined Odisha Football Club one-third of the way through the 2020-2021 season and unfortunately that season we did come last. However, within two years we have gone on to finish in the playoff positions, win the Hero Super Cup, win the Golden Boot award and qualify for the prestigious AFC Cup competition. Coming last is obviously difficult for any club, especially for the owners. So, we dived deep and tried to look at the whole structure on and off the pitch where we could improve, what aspects we needed to look at right across from our scouting to the managerial side, the players’ facilities, and everything. We were unsure of when the league would start because the league was not sure due to the pandemic. So, we had a brand-new manager.

Club President Raj Athwal expressed his delight on yesterday night’s result and winning the Hero Super Cup ✨

Listen to what he had to say 🔊#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #TheEasternDragons #OFCInAsia pic.twitter.com/7swi4iDwP9

— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) April 30, 2023

You only had two weeks of preseason and it’s not an excuse but two weeks to implement your philosophy. With new manager Sergio Lobera’s track record of success, what are the specific goals and expectations set for Odisha FC this season? And how will the club strategies align with Sergio Lobera’s coaching philosophy to achieve those objectives? The club’s strategies do align with Sergio’s coaching philosophy because when we choose a manager, there are a number of factors that we take into consideration and philosophy is one of those considerations because you want to continue to develop the club’s identity. So, that’s important because you have players that have been there for several years that are playing a certain way.

Officially confirming the biggest open ‘secret’ of this transfer window ✅@SergioLobera1 ➡️ @OdishaFC 🟣⚫️

Our new head coach is here and ready to go! 👊🏻😤#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #TheEasternDragons #WelcomeSergio pic.twitter.com/88WstufbLv

— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) May 17, 2023

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That’s not to say they can’t learn new styles of play. Absolutely you can, because you have to have Plan B and Plan C, but primarily, if they learn a play in a certain way, then you try and keep that identity and bring a coach in. That can also continue from where the previous coach left off. It’s very important that we continue in the same vein. So, players that come through the system, they will already know how we play and so he’s very much aligned with us and we’re aligned with the way he plays. He has a very, very exciting style of football. He wants to win, he wants to entertain, he wants to excite and that’s what Odisha’s identity is about. How do you anticipate the presence of experienced foreign players impacting the team dynamics and the development of the younger Indian players within the squad? My view is that players from overseas have a positive impact on the team as playing alongside good quality players makes them better and brings wider knowledge and skills.

Back To Work 💼#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #KalingaWarriors #OFCTour23 #Thailand #PreSeason pic.twitter.com/LHaJVKgVqV

— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) August 14, 2023

The Indian players may not necessarily have that and can pick up from foreign players and we have a process at the club where young players socialize and are introduced to the foreign players, the reason we do it is that it’s very important that the young players learn the good habits of the foreign players. So, it’s not just the football skillset. It’s also off the pitch, their nutrition, how they conduct themselves, and how they live. How important was the support of the fans throughout the season? How do you think that dedication and enthusiasm played a role in motivating the team to achieve such remarkable results? First, I want to thank the Juggernauts. They’ve been good to us even during our difficult times. So I’m going to put that on record and say thank you personally to the Juggernauts because they’ve been brilliant for the club. We’ve had difficult times and they’ve just supported us. I have always said to the supporters whatever I do I will always give you 100%.

Something feels special about the team this year. There is a different kinda energy around the squad as we continue building up to the season.🔋💪🏾

Can’t wait to come back to #TheNest and play in front of our fans!

Let’s go, ODISHA ⚔️#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #OFCTour23 pic.twitter.com/yleQaoUeOG

— Aniket Jadhav (@aniketjadhav09) August 11, 2023

Supporters for me are the cornerstone of any club and to coin a popular phrase, football is empty without the fans. ISL has given numerous opportunities to young aspiring Indian footballers, some of them who have made it to the senior India team. In a country where cricket is a religion, how much has football developed in India? That’s a good question. You know, while cricket is the number one sport in India, what I’ve witnessed is the emergence of and development of football at a very, very young age. And my view is due to the influence of social media, football is fast becoming a popular sport for both young boys and girls. As you know, we were one of the first if not the first ISL team to have a professional women’s team last season and what we’ve witnessed is the growth of football amongst the young generation. When we were traveling to away games, there were kids playing cricket but later, there were kids playing football and I’ve always maintained that we should draw strength and inspiration from the popularity of cricket. You know India is a sleeping giant in football and I’m talking now from experience, having been in British football for a lot of years and now in India. India has just been awoken in my opinion. Now we’re seeing a lot more reports about football, a lot more documentaries about football in India. What is Odisha Fc’s long-term vision? That’s a good point. I mean for me what’s important is to implement an infrastructure on and off the pitch that is conducive to creating a sustainable football club. So on the pitch, there has to be a pathway for local players, boys and girls to become integrated within the system and eventually enable them to have the opportunities to compete for a first team place. For me, from 7-8 years of age, we are having a grassroots program where young kids will learn the basics, boys and girls, and as they go through the system, especially for the local talent, give them an opportunity. Odisha is a state of 43 million people and football is certainly popular in certain cities that I’ve seen, more so than cricket. So, we are responsible for reaching out and giving these kids and their families the confidence to trust the process and off the pitch we need to create synergies between the local community while also pertaining to the global vision as well and we do see ourselves as a global club. So how do you see the competition? How competitive will the ISL be this season with 12 clubs? Yeah, well, firstly, I want to congratulate Punjab FC for making the ISL. It’s great news because we’ve got another region in India that perhaps wasn’t represented in the Indian Super League. During my time in India, I’ve seen a marked improvement year on year in the competition and this season is going to be quite fierce. It’s going to be very exciting for fans, going to be very exciting for the neutrals. But for people like me, it’s going to be a very tight season, and hence the reason we’re trying to invest wisely, to ensure that we have the best opportunity. We can do this but it also means there’ll be a lot more Indian players coming through the ranks which then not only helps domestically but helps internationally as well. And so more teams equate to more Indian players being developed and in the system and further improves the standards of the competition. How has the support from the state government positively impacted the growth and development of Odisha FC and how does it impact the grassroots and the community development? Well, firstly, you know we have a huge debt of gratitude to the government. Ever since I’ve been there, they’ve been very, very supportive of me. They’re always asking what more can we do to help me and my plans and what we’re trying to achieve for the club on and off the pitch in community or grassroots. And what they have provided is world class infrastructure, from the stadium to the training ground facilities where many head coaches from India and overseas and certainly English managers that I know last season were eulogizing about the facilities and how great they are. You know, they are on par with European facilities. And this is something from the Odisha government which has helped the team’s performance and they obviously want us to succeed because it will have a positive impact not only for Odisha but India.