KUALA LUMPUR – Former Tajikistan national football head coach Petar Segrt has made it clear that coaches have no choice but to live with interference and influence from third parties.
The 57-year-old Croatian has almost three decades of coaching experience across Europe and Asia, including stints in the Bundesliga, the Indonesian Premier League, and overseeing 24 games for Tajikistan since his appointment as head coach in 2022.
Under Segrt’s guidance, the Crowns recorded 11 wins and seven draws. They also lifted the 2022 King’s Cup in Thailand and the 2023 Merdeka Cup in Malaysia.
Before Segrt came on board, Tajikistan had struggled to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup in five previous attempts, but under his guidance, they made it to their maiden major tournament last year after topping a qualifying group comprising Singapore, Myanmar, and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.
Their Asian Cup exploits, which saw them qualify for the quarter-finals, also propelled them to a historic best FIFA world ranking of 99th.
Speaking to Scoop from Berlin, Segrt said that during his time as a coach, he has experienced several instances of interference and influence, which he successfully managed to handle through his neutral mentality.
“This is what happens to all coaches around the world. No matter what we do, there will always be interference and influence from third parties, and we coaches have no choice but to live with it.
“There will always be football club coaches, club owners, football agents, and members of the federations trying to influence us on what to do and what not to do as a coach. Sometimes it’s frustrating for me to handle these kinds of people who have their own self-interests.
“I remember very well a situation in Afghanistan where the football clubs tried to dictate which players I should choose. But I chose to be neutral and went against the interference.
“I’m not sure how other coaches deal with issues like this, but this has become a norm in football. We either deal with it or become failures.
“However, to be a successful coach with a good track record like myself, coaches have to fight against this and always be neutral in their decisions,” said Segrt when contacted.
Aside from Tajikistan, Segrt was also the head coach for Afghanistan, Georgia, and the Maldives.
He won the South Asian Football Federation Championship with the Maldives in 2018 by defeating India 2-1. – July 23, 2024