AIFF recommends Indian coaches for senior women and U23 men teams

The AIFF Technical Committee recommended considering Indian coaches for the senior women’s national team and appointed Renjith TA as assistant coach for the senior men’s team. A study group will assess U23 player performance for potential senior-level promotion

Hyderabad: The All India Football Federation’s Technical Committee met online on Tuesday to discuss the future of both the men’s and women’s national teams.

The meeting was chaired by IM Vijayan, along with members Harjinder Singh, Shabbir Ali, Victor Amalraj, Climax Lawrence, and Santosh Singh, who recommended that the Federation consider Indian coaches as possible options to take over as head coach of the senior Indian women’s national team, which recently returned from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

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The Technical Committee thanked Amelia Valverde, who led the Indian women’s team at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and wished her the very best for her future endeavours.

The committee opined that with matches coming up for the women’s team during the April FIFA International Window and the SAFF Women’s Championship in June, this would be a good opportunity for an Indian coach to take charge. A final decision on this will be taken soon.

The Technical Committee also recommended that, as Mahesh Gawali has been appointed head coach of the India U20 national team to oversee the transition of players from junior to senior level, Renjith TA be appointed as assistant coach of the senior men’s Indian football team.

Furthermore, the committee suggested forming a study group consisting of one Technical Committee member, one AIFF coach instructor, and a scout to analyse the matches of the India U23 men’s national team at the U23 Tri-Nation in Arunachal Pradesh. The group will assess player performance, decide who may be ready for the senior level, and identify areas where the team needs improvement.