All India Football Federation will onboard the new coach for the Indian Men’s National team by the end of July, federation president Kalyan Chaubey said on Thursday.
In a statement, AIFF said that it had received a total of 291 applications from all over the world, before the window for applying for the post ended on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
On June 6, India’s highest-ever goalscorer Sunil Chhetri hung up his boots and its men’s team head coach, Igor Stimac, was shown the door three days later, after nine losses and two draws in his last 12 games in charge.
Stimac, who had won the bronze medal as a player in the FIFA World Cup 1998, had taken charge of the Blue Tigers on May 15 2019, after the departure of Stephen Constantine. Stimac led the team to four major honours, including two SAFF Championships, one Intercontinental Cup and a Tri-Nations Series.
He became the first India coach to win three trophies in a year, winning the SAFF Championship, Tri-Nations Series and the Intercontinental Cup last year. However, India had a forgettable outing in the AFC Asian Cup this year, losing to Australia, Syria and Uzbekistan.
Regarding the new coach, Chaubey said, “We have received an overwhelming response with some of the marquee names having expressed their interest in India. As we get ready to write a new chapter in Indian football, it’s crucial for us to have a coach who is committed to the development of Indian football, to understand our culture and help design the national football philosophy.”
“We are hoping to onboard the candidate by end of July, to ensure India utilises the September FIFA window participation. As a next step, our committee headed by AIFF Vice President Mr NA Haris (along with Committee Chairpersons of Technical, I-League, Competitions, Finance, Development and the Treasurer) will review the applications, before placing the select list to the Executive Committee,” added Chaubey.
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