AIFF has too much on its hands in search for U-17 coach

PANAJI: The advisory committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is sifting through more than 75 applications for the vacant India Under-17 coaching vacancy following the departure of Nicolai Adam.
The AIFF parted ways with Nicolai last week and immediately advertised for a new head coach for the U-17 national team which will take part in the Fifa U-17 World Cup at home later this year.Since then more than 75 coaches have applied for the job and the AIFF Advisory Committee which met in the Capital on Friday discovered that they needed more time to come up with the final shortlist.
“There are a lot of interesting CVs from around the world but for now there is no shortlist. More time is needed,” a senior official told TOI at the end of the three-hour meeting.
The AIFF remained tight-lipped on the coaches who have applied to take charge of the under-17 squad but according to sources the names include a coach associated with Real Madrid, another successful coach from Portugal’s junior teams, a coach with big success in the I-League and a popular coach in Brazil recommended by AIFF’s partners Clube Atletico Paranaense.
The AIFF Advisory Committee meeting was attended by former India captain I M Vijayan, chairman of the AIFF technical committee Bhaichung Bhutia, COO Abhishek Yadav, AIFF’s head of strategic planning Kishore Taid, a representative from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and AIFF general secretary Kushal Das. The committee will prepare a shortlist and place it before another committee headed by sports secretary Injeti Srinivas.
The AIFF wants to have a new coach in place before March 1 and had made it clear that coaches who are willing to take up the assignment at short notice would be preferred.