ASHLEY WESTWOOD has taken charge of one of the most “daunting jobs” in football.
The former Manchester United prospect has been named manager of the Afghanistan national team.
Westwood, 47, has signed a one-year contract and has his first match in just eight days.
The retired defender’s first clash will be against Qatar in a World Cup qualifier.
However, his biggest task will be getting a team together as 18 stars are currently boycotting the Afghanistan Federation.
This is due to the allegations that there is corruption within the federation with the players not coming back until President Mohammad Yuosef Kargar resigns.
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Speaking about the current issues, Westwood said: “I understand player’s concerns and issues.
“At the end of the day I want to play for me and for this country.
“I will quickly now go into camp in Qatar with 25 players and I will start to form opinions of the players and how they run and conduct themselves.
“We will start to make quick decisions about players and those who do not have the right commitment will not be picked.”
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Former Notts County and Afghanistan ace Noor Husin is one of the players who are currently boycotting the team.
The now Southend star has claimed that money is being taken that is supposed to help football “grow”.
He told The Guardian: “I’ve been in the national team for four years now and this issue has always been here
“None of us come for the money – it’s a great honour to represent the national team and we all fly from different parts of the world.
“But we’ve seen the corruption inside the federation, how they take the money that they are supposed to be using to help football grow.”
Westwood never made a senior appearance for the Red Devils before he was sold to Crewe by manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
He went on to have a colourful career as he played for the likes of Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town, Wrexham, Kettering Town and Portsmouth.
After hanging up his boots he entered the world of football coaching and was named player-manager at Kettering Town.
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He then went on to manage Indian Super League outfit Bengaluru FC and Malaysian side Penang Football Club.
His most recent job saw him take charge of Punjab FC back in the ISL.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
