look news india
New Delhi, July 5 (HS). All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey said on Thursday that the federation will appoint a new coach for the Indian men's national team by the end of July.
The AIFF said in a statement that it had received a total of 291 applications from across the globe before the application period for the post ended on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
On 6 June, India's all-time leading goalscorer Sunil Chhetri resigned from his post and three days later men's team head coach Igor Stimac was sacked. They have lost nine of their last 12 matches and drawn two.
Stimac, who won a bronze medal as a player at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, took charge of the Blue Tigers on 15 May 2019 after the departure of Stephen Constantine. Stimac led the team to four major honours, including two SAFF Championships, an Intercontinental Cup and a Tri-Nations Series.
He has become the first Indian coach to win three trophies in a year. He won the SAFF Championship, Tri-Nations Series and Intercontinental Cup last year. However, India's performance in the AFC Asian Cup this year was disappointing, in which it suffered defeats against Australia, Syria and Uzbekistan.
Speaking about the new coach, Choubey said, “We have received an overwhelming response, with some big names showing interest in India. As we prepare to write a new chapter in Indian football, it is important for us to have a coach who is committed to the development of Indian football, understands our culture and helps design a national football philosophy.”
“We hope to have the candidate on board by the end of July to ensure that India can utilise the available window to participate in FIFA in September. As a next step, our committee headed by AIFF vice-president NA Haris (along with committee chairmen of Technical, I-League, Competitions, Finance, Development and Treasurer) will review the applications before placing the selection list to the Executive Committee,” Choubey said.
