Strengthen National Leagues, Says Asia's New Football Guru, Andy Roxburgh

Asian football's new technical director Andy Roxburgh feels strong national leagues will help football grow in the continent. The man who replaced Alex Ferguson as Scotland coach in 1986, Roxburgh feels private semi-professional tournaments like the Indian Super League should not kill the mainstream championship.

"You can always buy the icing on the cake, but how good is the cake?" Roxburgh said at his media interaction here on Wednesday. The 71-year-old Scotsman is on a two-year contract with the Asian Football Confederation.

The man who was preferred over Kenny Dalglish as Scotland's long-standing national coach since 1986, said India faced a similar situation like England where the English Premier League did not help lift the country's image, especially in World Cups.

A tournament like ISL must be seen in proper context. "Clubs must have national identity. There should be quota for home-grown players because fans must identify with local talent," said Roxburgh.

Keen to see the massive interest in ISL, Roxburgh warned teams against hiring heroes to make them look attractive. "Bringing in journeymen for starts is okay. Japan did it with Zico and the J-League prospered. That should be the approach. It is not about one person, it should be the quality of the league," he said.

Roxburgh will have his hands full when he gets down to business. He has enough knowledge of Asia and has set himself realistic targets. One thing is sure for sure that no Asian country is going to win the World Cup anytime soon, he said.

A man with a stunning CV -- even Jose Mourinho has studied under him, Roxburgh has identified Asia's biggest problem. "The gap between top and bottom teams is just too high. Competition balance is key," the former school head teacher said.

For him, it is all about "winning the next 10 years" because "Asia has the talent and no talent is good enough." Will Asia match up to the best? Will the AFC bosses have the patience to believe in Roxburgh's process of evolution? Roxburgh will probably face his stiffest challenge now.