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Male’, MALDIVES – The departing national team coach of Maldives, Hungarian born Istvan Urbanyi has said that if we want to have success for the national team we have to have the support of the clubs. Urbanyi will leave Maldives tonight on a mutual understating with the Football Association of Maldives said that he hopes to come back here soon.

Maldivesoccer.com managed to have an exclusive interview with Istvan Urbanyi and the following are some of the selected questions.

MS: You have been here for nearly four years and how do you feel when leaving Maldives?

IU: This was a very special period of my life. And this was the longest contract in my football career including as a player.

So I can tell that part of my heart says to stay here and I am a bit Maldivian and I was always acting as a local. I know the local attitude and the way of thinking. I would say we have to change some attitude if we want to achieve something in sports.

The only difficulty was that I couldn’t bring my children here and I am missing them.

MS: You have managed to win the Mahinda Rajapakse International Trophy with the Maldives U23 team and how do you feel about the win?

IU: I was happy for the boys who have won the tournament and they deserved it. The problem was that most of those players didn’t play competitive matches even in Dhivehi League. I can tell the names even, Dunga, Sadhin, Yamin and even Andy started to play with Eagles. I think this was a very huge responsibility from the club sides to use these young ones and they are very talented ones and they have proved it.

I wish I could do the same with the senior national team and we were closed to that. But there is something missing.

MS: What was missing then?

IU: We have to analyze what we did good and what we missed and what we can do better. But to analyze only the picture on the field is not enough. There are many things happening off the field as well and probably that’s the most important part of success.

And I am not the one who has to make the conclusion. FAM has to make the conclusion and also the technical committee has to make the conclusion.

If we want to have success we have to have a good preparation and for that we have to have a better plan for the whole season. We still don’t know how the season will go next year. We don’t know how to prepare for the AFC Challenge cup. We don’t know where to go for the preparation and we don’t know anything.

MS: Do you believe India is much better than Maldives?

IU: India is not better than Maldives at all. We are the better team on the field but they are the better team off the field. They are more professional and they are giving better plans.

When I was here my plan was to have three or four training sessions in a month. But we have to have the support of the clubs as well. But unfortunately there were always some personal issues against the management of FAM and everything happens. National team is national team and everyone has to give maximum support to the national team. If you like the president or if you don’t like the president. National team is national team. And I really appreciate for those clubs who gave me the support.

MS: We all have been telling that you have failed to beat India thrice and do you agree on that?

IU: Yeah, that’s a fact. First of all India was very smart in 2009. They were saying that they brought U23 team and that was not the truth. They started to tell them that Indian kids and we beat the kids in the group stage. Football is a beautiful game and anything can happen. Anything means the best players can miss a penalty. And you are coming home as losers and I think that a mistake from the FA for not defending the performance in that tournament. It seems like that Maldives has to win and it was a must but it was not a must.

And you know 2008 was a special tournament; great generation and hosting the tournament and also the details within the team came out side.

MS: Do you believe that Maldives could win a regional tournament soon?

IU: It depends on the plan. I cannot see the plan right now.

MS: Do you believe whether there is any player who could replace Imran and Ashfaq when they retire?

IU: It is hard to tell, they are extra ordinary players but we have some good players. Imran is just a perfect example for being a professional in this country and he is a hero to follow for the young generation.

And Dhagey is a very unique player but he is very close to miss his best so even this time I told him to challenge himself. He is the one who can open the door for the next generation to play abroad.

For the future it is very important Maldivian players to go abroad to play football and local league will not prepare them to be as the best team in the region.

MS: What would you miss most when leaving Maldives?

IU: Seriously I will miss everything in this country. The thing is that I never felt that I am in a holiday destination. I always think that I am in a beautiful country where I have confidence with the people and I feel just like home. I never felt that I am from Europe I felt like I am also from Maldives.

Yes I like to live here and I like to eat tuna fried noodles with devilled fish and I can eat that every day.

MS: Your final word?

IU: I just realized that Maldivians doesn’t like to deliver negative messages and I don’t know sometimes they are just shy or something like that. But you know in sports you have to change that attitude. In football just like in normal life you have to have straight communication. You have to tell what you think; you have to give what you feel on and off the field. I think this is the secret of being successful.

Give good support to the team but to give good support just know the whole picture. And try to appreciate the performance, not only the result. Players have to have responsibility on the performance and the result will come if the performance is good. The screaming of the ladies in the home stadium was amazing and I will miss that. Any how I will try coming to see the matches of AFC Challenge cup and I hope to come back here.