India have stopped appointing Indian coaches for their National team in the last 10 years. On the contrary, for the first time, all five African nations present at the World Cup – Tunisia, Ghana, Morocco, Cameroon and Senegal – were led by African coaches. For the longest time, countries from the continent would depend on foreign coaches to provide the expertise needed to excel at the highest level. But in Senegal coach Aliou Cisse, Morocco coach Walid Regragui, Ghana coach Otto Addo, Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri and Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, there is a sign that the past three decades have seen a general maturing of the players and the coaches in the area.

Many of the top African players of the previous eras spent a lot of time playing in Europe. They learned the tricks of the trade and aren't exactly novices when it comes to tactical play either and that is a huge departure from the past. The big difference is also the role that technology is playing. You could be sitting in one corner of Africa but still have access to games and material needed to get better.

This has been an ongoing debate in Africa for a while now. Just as it has been in India too. Many believe that a coach should be homegrown because of the ability to understand the inherent thought process better. Language isn't an issue either. Foreign coaches may take a while to truly understand all the elements at play and that is valuable time lost.

A foreigner, on the other hand, is perceived as someone who comes in just for the money. It isn't always the case as we have seen coaches like Bora Milutinovic, Ottmar Hitzfeld and even Herve Renard make a huge impact in their time with various national teams. These coaches have a set template on how to get the game going in a particular country and sometimes that can play a huge role in moving the sport forward. The argument is never a simple one and is driven by so much more than just football.