Kibu Vicuna should have been celebrating the I-League triumph with Mohun Bagan players and fans. But the times are strange now.
With the coronavirus pandemic throwing the world out of gear, the Spanish coach is spending time at his New Town apartment — reading congratulatory messages and watching videos of various football matches around the world. He is trying his hand at cooking too.
“The situation is still very serious. Hope everything will be all right soon. Till now, my parents, who stay in San Sebastian, are fine. My brothers, who are in Pamplona, are safe. My wife, Kasia Bielecka, who stays in Warsaw, Poland, is okay. We all need to follow the guidelines in these extraordinary times,” Vicuna told The Telegraph.
“We are in lockdown. So we have to stay at home. In a way it is difficult to stay at home all the time but there are no other option. I am utilising the time by video chatting with family and friends, reading books, watching recordings of football matches. Cooking my own food has also become mandatory so that is also taking up some time,” he said.
Considering the tough times, Vicuna has come forward to help the needy. “I don’t want to say much about it. I can only tell you, at this point of time, we need to help people.”
So how has he done that? Vicuna came to know that his team’s young midfielder, Sheikh Sahil, is distributing rations among those in need in Nonachandanpukur, near Barrackpore, where he lives.
Vicuna immediately got in touch with Sahil and contributed. He has done it multiple times, the coach wants to continue doing charitable work but is not keen on making it public.
Vicuna and his wife Kasia had plans to explore India after the football season got over. But that looks impossible now. “My wife came here in winter and we had a lovely time. She was supposed to come after the end of the season, but now we have been forced to change our plans.
“When we went to Srinagar to play the away match against Real Kashmir FC, she was with us. We really enjoyed the time. We would like to go to Kashmir for a vacation,” he said.
All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s league committee on Saturday decided that Bagan would be officially declared the champions. But that doesn’t matter much to Vicuna. “Yes, it’s become official now. But we became champions on March 10, when we defeated Aizawl FC at Kalyani Stadium and reached an insurmountable 39 points,” he said.
“But of course I would want to enjoy the success and I am in constant touch with my players. We share memories of the season. We had a very good time at Mohun Bagan,” he said.
How has the last season been for him? The I-League-winning coach said: “The journey has been fantastic from the very first day. The day I arrived, people were waiting for me at the airport. It was a very touching moment for me. We had our ups and downs, but supporters and officials were always with the team. That is one of the main reasons for our success.”
The coach feels self-belief and team work are of paramount importance. “It was known to all of us that we had very good players. But at the same time, I knew we had to do things as a team. I gave everybody equal importance. I tried to keep everybody happy, just like in a family. We played as a team and got the success,” he said.
