U17 AFC Asian Cup: Meet Conti siblings, looking to turn the tide for India girls

The Conti siblings from Italy, who have just taken charge of the India women’s team for AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup later this year, make an unusual pair. ‘’My brother is part of me, perhaps the best part of me,’’ explains head coach Pamela Conti, a former Italian international and journeyman coach, referring to her brother and deputy Vincenzo.

The first assignment for her is the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship in Nepal, a preparatory event for the girls’ campaign in the U17 Asian Cup — where they have made the cut after 21 years. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has now lined up a second well-known name on the coaches’ roster for the women’s teams after hiring former Costa Rica coach Amelia Valverde for the seniors.

Now 43, the Palermo-born Pamela has had a decorated career as a player, with 90 international caps and 30 goals, her crowning glory being named Italy's Footballer of the Year in 2004. She has won multiple league and cup titles for various clubs as a player, an U20 World Cup qualification and a South American Games gold medal as Venezuela’s coach. Her coaching assignments, with Vincenzo in tow, have taken the pair around Italy, Spain, Russia, Sweden, the United States, Venezuela and now India — where the task is going to be decidedly tougher.

Speaking to AIFF media, Pamela fielded the obvious question of the challenge in readying a bunch of willing rookies for a tough assignment. ‘’For me, this represents a new challenge and an important one. Above all, it is an opportunity to help very young players understand what it truly means to develop a professional mentality. I want to introduce them to a new methodology, a mix of Spanish and Italian football culture. That kind of football really inspires me,’’ the Sicilian said.

The AFC U17 Women’s Asia Cup, scheduled from 30 April to 17 May in China, features 12 teams, with the top four to make the cut for the U17 World Cup. Laying down the marker, Pamela said: ‘’We know how difficult it will be in the Asian Cup. There are extremely strong teams in Asia — we can talk about DPR Korea, who won both the U20 and U17 World Cups last time. There’s also Japan, China, and Australia. The competition is very intense in Asia.

‘’Our first objective is discipline and changing the mindset from being a young player to becoming a professional. Hard work is essential. Philosophically, we want to create a mix of Italian tactical organisation, especially defensive structure with Spanish football principles. I have lived in Spain for many years, so we work a lot on ball possession, transitions and counter-attacks.’’

Explaining the logic behind participating in the SAFF tournament of a higher age group, Pamela said it would be a toughening process. ‘’We will face teams that are two years older than us because it is an U19 tournament. For us, the priority is to give opportunities to all players so I can observe them closely. Of course, we always go to compete and to win, but we also understand the challenges we may face due to age differences. This experience will certainly help us in the future,’’ she said.

Finally, what’s her equation with her brother and deputy Vincenzo, always with her on the road? The professional mask is lowered for once when she says: ‘’My brother is a part of me, perhaps the best part of me. He is much calmer than I am and has very clear ideas. I don’t have a father, so for me, he is also like a father figure, a brother, a friend. Everything. He is a former professional footballer who has taught me so much. He is my right hand, the person I trust the most in this world, both professionally and personally.’’