The All India Football Federation (AIFF) in its executive committee meeting at the Football House, New Delhi, on Wednesday, has accepted the advice of the former Indian coaches on the appointment issue of the new senior national coach.
The eminent former Indian coaches like Dronacharya awardee Armando Colaco, and Bimal Ghosh, then Harjinder Singh, Tababi Debi, Shabbir Ali, Climax Lawrence, and Tababi Debi were invited to the meeting as special guests. Along with them, national team director Subrata Paul and Sabir Pasha were also in the meeting.
The eminent former coaches’ advice to the executive committee was to prefer an Indian coach, and they also reportedly advised the executive committee to issue an advertisement for the appointment of a new coach as early as possible. It is believed that the AIFF wants to appoint the new senior national coach by the end of this month. The senior national team are scheduled to take part in their remaining two Asian Cup qualifiers in October.
However, it is learned that the AIFF had also requested on the day that Manolo Marquez continue with the senior national team, who had already submitted a written resignation. But Marquez reportedly again rejected the request on the day.
The AIFF has taken another important decision on the day that the I-League clubs will not be able to field more than three foreign footballers at a time in the forthcoming I-League, although the clubs will be allowed to register five foreign footballers.
The executive committee, however, has decided to appeal to the FSDL, the organizer of ISL, not to stick to their previous terms of no-relegation in the ISL. Simultaneously, the AIFF, in the same e-mail, will also request the FSDL to consider the interest of the senior national team and restrict it to three foreign footballers at the same time in a match.
Significantly, it is learned that a team of Fifa delegates, possibly under the leadership of legendary Arsene Wenger, now chief of Fifa’s Global Football Development, is likely to visit the Fifa-AIFF elite academy in Bhubaneswar and conduct a seminar on 7th October. AIFF also wants to conduct its Annual General Meeting there on the day.
In another major decision, the AIFF is likely to send a show-cause e-mail to former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia for making a statement against the AIFF president at a recent media conference.
Bhaichung, now in Sikkim, stated while speaking to Parallel Sports, “I also heard about the news from the media. I feel they have taken such a decision as I raised my voice against the AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey’s lackluster administrative activities. It is he whose leadership has taken Indian football to decadence. It cannot be that no one will raise their voice against such mismanagement and administrative failure. At least I will not be silent. He wants to silence the voice by issuing the notice. I will reply once I receive the notice.”
