Liverpool stars Fowler, Kewell apply for India coach job
Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has received 170 applications for the national team coach job, significantly lower than the 291 who applied for the same position it advertised last year.
The AIFF invited applications on July 4 after accepting Manolo Marquez's resignation at its executive committee meeting on July 2.
According to sources, there was a flurry of applications during the first three days, but when AIFF started compiling the list a week later, there weren't too many big names who had applied for the position.
'Last year there was massive interest in the job, many of them (current) national team coaches and those who had managed teams at the FIFA World Cup,' a senior official told TOI on Monday.
'This time around, there's also interest from across the world, but not as many high-profile candidates.'
The AIFF has not revealed the list of applicants, but those in the know confirmed several names who have shown interest. These include former Liverpool stars Robbie Fowler and Harry Kewell, former Brazil U-17 coach Caio Zanardie and former Barcelona reserves manager Jordi Vinyals, who spent the last three years at Chinese Super League side Zhejiang Professional.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Brothers showcase turmeric and its golden status in Macanese cuisine
MGTO
Undo
Peter Segrt, former coach of Tajikistan, Maldives, and Afghanistan, Roel Coumans, part of the Australia coaching staff at the 2018 World Cup, and Mauritania coach Aritz Lopez Garai have also knocked on AIFF's doors.
Among the more familiar names, there's Stephen Constantine, who has managed more matches (73) than any other coach during his two stints with the national team. The English coach, last seen in India with East Bengal in 2022-23, has won four trophies with the national team: LG Cup (2002), SAFF Cup (2015), Tri Nation Series (2017) and Inter-Continental Cup (2018).
Should the AIFF choose to look at higher-profile coaches working in India, they have options in two Indian Super League (ISL) champions in Spaniards Antonio Lopez Habas and Sergio Lobera, both among the more successful coaches in the top tier of Indian football.
Staikos Vergetis, I-League winner with Punjab FC, has thrown his hat in the ring, while former Mohammedan Sporting coach Andrey Chernyshov has told the AIFF that he is 'happy to welcome local specialists among his coaching staff, confident in their high professionalism and discipline.'
Among the home-grown coaches, Khalid Jamil, Sanjoy Sen and Santosh Kashyap top the list.
The AIFF will now go through the applications and prepare a long list.
The new coach will have to take over the national team and boost its chances of making it to the AFC Asian Cup 2027. India's hopes of qualifying for the continental showpiece took a major blow after a solitary goal loss against Hong Kong in the final round of qualifiers last month, which left them at the bottom of the group.
With four games left to be played and only the group toppers making it to Saudi Arabia, India must win all remaining matches (two against Singapore and one each against Bangladesh and Hong Kong) to have the best chance of qualification, ahead of Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangladesh.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
a minute ago
- Business Standard
Delay of 90 seconds sparked it: Gill on clash with Crawley in Lord's Test
India captain Shubman Gill addressed the much-discussed exchange with Zak Crawley at Lord's, clarifying that it was triggered by a 90-second delay in the English batter's arrival at the crease. Speaking on the eve of the fourth Test in Manchester, Gill said England's tactic—coming out nearly a minute and a half late with only seven minutes left in the day—was seen as unsporting. 'Yes, most teams want to face fewer overs in such situations, but there's a certain manner to do it,' Gill stated. 'Ninety seconds late is not in the spirit of the game.' He added that the confrontation didn't arise out of nowhere but was the result of several build-ups earlier in the match. While admitting it wasn't something he was "proud of", Gill stood by his team's reaction, attributing it to the emotional intensity of high-stakes Test cricket. Session management and missed opportunities Gill acknowledged that India's inability to close sessions strongly has been a recurring issue. Despite being in commanding positions during the Lord's Test, the team frequently lost key wickets at the end of sessions, allowing England to claw back. 'We've spoken about it, whether in Australia or here—how important it is to win the start and end of a session. Sometimes, you do everything right, but things don't go your way,' he admitted. Improving session discipline, with bat and ball, remains a focus heading into the Manchester Test. Stokes' reply: England will respond in kind England captain Ben Stokes, in his presser before Gill, also mentioned the incident, saying his team would reciprocate any aggression from the Indian side in the intense Test series. Speaking before the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Stokes emphasised that while neither team is looking to initiate sledging, aggressive moments are inevitable due to the high stakes involved. 'We're not going to purposely start it, but we won't take a backward step either,' he said, indicating England's readiness to meet confrontation head-on. Stokes acknowledged that India's aggression at Lord's, especially from players like Gill and Siraj, injected energy into England's performance, and that his team has embraced this competitive intensity to maintain momentum in the series. Stokes on Lord's incident: Energy and momentum battle Reflecting on the tense moments at Lord's, Stokes defended behaviour from his players, saying the tactics employed by Crawley and Duckett were part of a fierce fight to secure victory. He noted, 'We threw everything at India—skills and energy both." He admitted that returning aggression raised the team's adrenaline and camaraderie, calling it a 'really nice moment' for England to collectively back each other in the face of confrontation. With England leading the series 2-1, Stokes expressed confidence in maintaining their momentum at Old Trafford and stressed the importance of continuing the same effort and energy as they seek to clinch the series.
Indian Express
a minute ago
- Indian Express
IND vs ENG: England recycle Liam Dawson, the allrounder who had binned Test cricket
The second ball Liam Dawson faced in Test cricket crashed onto the front of his helmet. He recovered from Ishant Sharma's blow at Chepauk in the final Test of a dead rubber in 2016, he rallied, registered an unbeaten 66, and was taking questions from the media at the end of the day. 'Test cricket moves really fast,' he said about his composed knock after the helmet-crasher. In the subsequent years, the left-arm spin bowling allrounder would learn that Test cricket moved slowly for him. In the next eight months, he played two Tests. But for a cruel late twist of fate, he would play his fourth in Old Trafford on Wednesday, eight years post his last Test, after missing a century of Tests in the interlude, hoping, losing hope, waiting and once giving up the wait. The story of Dawson is what happened between Nottingham 2017 and Old Trafford 2025. Last year, ECB managing director Robert Key sought his availability for the five-Test tour to India. He refused because Key could not confirm him an automatic spot in the side, and he said he was too tired of carrying drinks. In England's golden era of white-ball cricket, the period from 2019 to 2022 when they raised both the short-form World Cups, he was the most familiar drinks-man. He did not bowl a single ball in the 2019 World Cup, but has a medal, which he gifted his son. He has souvenirs and memories of the 2021 T20 World Cup triumph too, where he was a reserve. He has World Cup winning medals in his attic but not a game to show for. He was not merely tired of ferrying drinks and being the nearly man, but he was earning more from the franchise league circuit. Sixteen franchises nudge each other on his resume, from Chittagong Viking to Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Peshawar Stars to Dhanmondi Sports Club. 'I am 33 now. I am very realistic that I am not always going to play for England. The game is changing massively and everybody that is involved in the game understands that. Financially it is something at my age that I will have to consider,' he contextualised his franchise-allegiances when turning down England's offers at a press conference soon after. The tour had coincided with South Africa's SA20, worth around £150,000, which he would have to relinquish. He was a non-contracted player with England, so would have mustered a maximum of £120,000, if he played every game. It was simple financial prioritisation. Besides, he felt liberated, binning the Test dream. 'I don't think about playing for England at all now. I think that does help and that's how I'll continue to play my cricket,' he would say. He had earlier snubbed a white-ball tour to Pakistan for the Dhaka League. He had reconciled to the wretched fate of his international career that had more stops than starts. But runs kept flowing from his bat (956 at 59.75 60 last season) and wickets (54 at 25.14) kept tumbling from his deliveries that England could no longer ignore him. When the call came, he could not refuse England either. He reciprocated what would potentially be his last shot at Test redemption, a sizzle before the sunset, a month after his T20 comeback in June. He was so impressive in his white-ball return that former captain Nasser Hussain wanted him to be the first choice spinner in the T20 World Cup. Before the subcontinent adventure next year, he has business at Old Trafford and Oval, historically two spin-friendliest venues in England. He is different from Bashir in every way. He is shorter, standing at five eight, and the coaches at Hampshire remodelled him from a left-arm seamer to spinner. He walks to the wicket, much like his idol and the man he took over the spin-bowling mantle from, Shane Warne, for his county. Resultantly, he releases from a modest height, as compared to Bashir, who was six feet four inches. The action is more round-arm, and at release his bowling arm is beyond perpendicular, which takes batsmen some getting used-to. He doesn't purchase as much bounce as Bashir, but generates over-spin and is unflinchingly accurate, whereas the off-spinner sprayed an occasional gift ball. For much of his career, Dawson seldom produced extravagant side spin and relied on change of pace, angle and release points. But in the last three years he has been extracting turn and fizz as well. 'He's started beating right-handers much more consistently on the outside edge and that makes his arm ball and the one that undercuts that much more dangerous as well,' Hampshire wicketkeeper Ben Brown told The Times recently. He would be a different bowler to the nervous debutant India pulverised 196 runs, nine years ago. The vein of attrition in his bowling reflects on his batting too, the polestar that has fetched him 18 first-class hundreds. His addition, invariably, deepens England's batting. Bashir's first class batting average is 8.27; Dawson's is 35.29. England would need both dimensions to shine, as Test cricket has finally begun to move fast for him.
News18
11 minutes ago
- News18
From Football To Esports? China FA Announces Pivot After Failed 2026 WC Qualifiers
Last Updated: After failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, China's football authority plans to create a national esports football team to compete in FIFA and AFC events. In an unexpected move following its failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, China's top football authority announced plans on Tuesday to establish a national esports football team. The initiative marks a surprising pivot toward virtual competition, as the country's traditional football program continues to struggle. According to a statement from the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the new esports team will represent China in competitions 'organised by FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and other organisations." China's decision comes in the wake of a disappointing performance in the World Cup qualifiers. A 1-0 loss to Indonesia last month led to the dismissal of national team coach Branko Ivankovic, effectively ending China's hopes of reaching the 2026 tournament. Currently ranked 94th in the FIFA World Rankings—two spots below Luxembourg—China's football program continues to fall short of expectations, much to the frustration of its large and passionate fan base. News of the CFA's entry into esports football has prompted varied reactions across Chinese social media. 'I think this might actually work," one user wrote on Weibo. 'We have quite a considerable esports player base in our country, and the talent selection is relatively fair." However, skepticism remains among others. 'They have messed up football in real life, and now they want to mess up football in esports," another user commented. As the CFA moves forward with this digital initiative, it remains to be seen whether success in the virtual arena can restore national pride—or invite further criticism. (with AFP inputs) view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
