The search for the next coach of the Indian men’s football team came to a conclusion on Wednesday with Croatia’s Igor Stimac landing the coveted job.
It brought to an end a long and extensive search process conducted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to fill the role vacated by outgoing India coach Stephen Constantine.
As many as 280 applications were received from all across the globe for the India coaching job which was further pruned down by AIFF’s Technical Committee.
Explaining the methodology of the recruitment process, AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told Goal, “We are delighted to have concluded the search for the new India coach.”
“At the end of the day, I can assure you that no stone has been left unturned to find the right man for the job ahead of what is a crucial period for the national team.
“The AIFF received more than 280 applications for the job which were all duly considered in a streamlined process.”
The prospective candidates were further trimmed down to approximately 120 after applying the criterion of a UEFA pro-license requirement. They were then divided into four categories based on their previous coaching experience.
“The coaches with previous national team coaching experience at the highest level were put in Pot A. These included coaches who have overseen World Cup or continental level qualifying campaigns or other continental level tournaments such as the AFC Asian Cup, Euro etc,” he said.
“Those with national team coaching experience at a lower level were placed in Pot B while those who have coached at the club level were placed in Pot C. Candidates with coaching experience only at the youth and academy level were put in Pot D.
“The AIFF considered previous coaching experience at every level in selecting the new India coach in a bid to ensure that no aspect was overlooked,” said Das.
“We kept in mind the requirements of the Indian team going forward. We have firm belief in the rational process that we followed,” he stated.
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