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News18
2 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
AIFF Technical Committee To Shortlist National Team Coach From 170 Applicants
Last Updated: The AIFF's technical committee, led by IM Vijayan, will meet to appoint a new head coach for the senior men's team after Manolo Marquez's exit. The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) technical committee, led by former India captain IM Vijayan, will meet on Wednesday to begin the process of appointing a new head coach for the senior men's national team. The post became vacant earlier this month after the AIFF and Spaniard Manolo Marquez parted ways by mutual consent following a string of poor performances. Selection Process Underway Following the coaching vacancy, the AIFF invited applications with a deadline of July 13. The federation has since received an overwhelming 170 applications from around the globe. According to a source close to the proceedings, the technical committee will evaluate all applications and create a shortlist to be forwarded to the AIFF Executive Committee (EC), which will make the final decision. With a FIFA international window in September and crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore set for October 9 and 14, the AIFF is under pressure to expedite the appointment. The Executive Committee also has the authority to request additional names or further clarification before making a decision. Several high-profile names have expressed interest in the job. Former Liverpool stars Robbie Fowler—who previously coached East Bengal—and Harry Kewell are among the applicants, as is Peter Segrt, who has managed Tajikistan, Maldives, and Afghanistan. Stephen Constantine, who coached India in two separate stints (2002–2005 and 2015–2019), is also in the fray. Most recently in charge of Pakistan, the 62-year-old has also coached East Bengal and national teams like Nepal, Malawi, and Rwanda. Among Indian contenders are Khalid Jamil, Santosh Kashyap, and Sanjoy Sen—the latter fresh off leading Bengal to a Santosh Trophy win and having won the I-League with Mohun Bagan in 2014–15. Other Notable Applicants Foreign coaches with ISL and I-League experience have also applied, including: Vacancy Opened After Marquez's Exit The AIFF officially opened applications on July 4, two days after accepting Manolo Marquez's resignation during its Executive Committee meeting on July 2. Though Marquez had expressed his desire to step down in April, he was requested to stay on until India's AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong on June 10. India lost that match 1-0, concluding Marquez's one-year tenure with a disappointing record—no competitive wins in eight games and just one victory in a friendly. Under his leadership, India also fell to 133rd in the FIFA rankings. (with PTI inputs) First Published: 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.
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano named as Pakistan coach
Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano has been appointed as head coach of Pakistan's senior and under-23 teams. Solano will take over from Stephen Constantine, and his first major assignment will be the AFC Under-23 qualifiers in September, where Pakistan is grouped with Cambodia, Iraq and Oman. He will also be in charge of the remainder of Pakistan's 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, including a double-header against Afghanistan in October. ALSO READ: Serie A 2024-25 top scorer Retegui moving to Saudi Pro League Solano's appointment is the first major signing by the newly elected Pakistan Football Federation with Mohsen Gilani as its president. 'Under President Mohsen Gilani's leadership, PFF proudly welcomes Nolberto Solano as Head Coach of Pakistan U23 with a pathway to the senior team!' the PFF wrote on X while welcoming the former Peru winger. 'A true legend with EPL, World Cup & Copa América pedigree, it's a new era for Pakistan football.' Solano was the assistant coach of Peru when his country qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 in Russia after 36 years. He left the national team in 2022 when Peru failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar after it was beaten by Australia in an intercontinental playoff. Constantine led Pakistan to its first-ever victory in a World Cup qualifier in October 2023 and had been coaching the team on a game-to-game basis after his one-year contract expired in November last year. Related Topics Pakistan
Fox Sports
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano named as Pakistan coach
Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano has been appointed as head coach of Pakistan's senior and under-23 teams. Solano will take over from Stephen Constantine and his first major assignment will be the AFC Under-23 qualifiers in September where Pakistan is grouped with Cambodia, Iraq and Oman. He will also be in charge for the remainder of Pakistan's 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, including a double-header against Afghanistan in October. Solano's appointment is the first major signing by the newly-elected Pakistan Football Federation with Mohsen Gilani as its president. 'Under President Mohsen Gilani's leadership, PFF proudly welcomes Nolberto Solano as Head Coach of Pakistan U23 with a pathway to the senior team!,' the PFF wrote on X while welcoming the former Peru winger. 'A true legend with EPL, World Cup & Copa América pedigree it's a new era for Pakistan football.' Solano was the assistant coach of Peru when his country qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 in Russia after 36 years. He left the national team in 2022 when Peru failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar after it was beaten by Australia in an inter-continental playoff. Constantine led Pakistan to its first ever victory in a World Cup qualifier in Oct. 2023 and had been coaching the team on game-to-game basis after his one-year contract expired in November last year. ___ AP soccer: in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano named as Pakistan coach
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano has been appointed as head coach of Pakistan's senior and under-23 teams. Solano will take over from Stephen Constantine and his first major assignment will be the AFC Under-23 qualifiers in September where Pakistan is grouped with Cambodia, Iraq and Oman. He will also be in charge for the remainder of Pakistan's 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, including a double-header against Afghanistan in October. Solano's appointment is the first major signing by the newly-elected Pakistan Football Federation with Mohsen Gilani as its president. 'Under President Mohsen Gilani's leadership, PFF proudly welcomes Nolberto Solano as Head Coach of Pakistan U23 with a pathway to the senior team!,' the PFF wrote on X while welcoming the former Peru winger. 'A true legend with EPL, World Cup & Copa América pedigree it's a new era for Pakistan football.' Solano was the assistant coach of Peru when his country qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 in Russia after 36 years. He left the national team in 2022 when Peru failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar after it was beaten by Australia in an inter-continental playoff. Constantine led Pakistan to its first ever victory in a World Cup qualifier in Oct. 2023 and had been coaching the team on game-to-game basis after his one-year contract expired in November last year. ___ AP soccer:
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First Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Liverpool legend Fowler, Constantine and Jamil among applicants for Indian men's football team job: Report
A large number of 170 coaches have applied for the Indian men's football team head coach role after Manolo Marquez's exit. Some top names in the list are Stephen Constantine, Robbie Fowler, Khalid Jamil, Antonio Lopez Habas and Sergio Lobera. read more A new Indian football team coach is expected to be picked in August. Images: Robbie Fowler on X/Stephen Constantine on X Former India coach Stephen Constantine, Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Harry Kewell and Jamshedpur FC's Khalid Jamil are among the 170 applicants for the Indian men's football team head coach role, following Manolo Marquez's earlier this month. Marquez, who is back with Indian Super League (ISL) side FC Goa, left the Indian men's football team head coach position after a one-year tumultuous tenure, which has seen the team plummet to 133rd FIFA ranking. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The AIFF is now in need to quickly find a replacement as India are still fighting to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia. Among the many applicants, the most prominent are former Liverpool footballers Robbie Fowler and Harry Kewell, former Barcelona reserves manager Jordi Vinyals and former Brazil U-17 coach Caio Zanardie, as per a report in the Times of India. Former Tajikistan, Maldives and Afghanistan coach Peter Segrt, Mauritania coach Aritz Lopez Garai and Roel Coumans, who was part of the Australian team coaching staff at the 2018 World Cup, have also applied to AIFF. More from Football The Indian football federation, however, is not happy as it feels the 'high-profile' candidates are missing. '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 AIFF official told TOI. 'This time around, there's also interest from across the world, but not as many high-profile candidates.' Will Constantine get a third tenure? Constantine, who has coached India in 73 matches across two tenures, is one of the most familiar names. He has won multiple tournaments with India, including the LG Cup (2002), SAFF Cup (2015), Tri Nation Series (2017) and Inter-Continental Cup (2018). Antonio Lopez Habas and Sergio Lobera, who have trophies in ISL, are also in contention after applying for the job. Former Punjab FC coach Staikos Vergetis, who won the I-League with them, has also applied. The list of Indian coaches who have applied for the top job includes Khalid Jamil, Sanjoy Sen and Santosh Kashyap. The AIFF is still to pick a list of final candidates, who will be interviewed before a final appointment is made. India's next match is against Singapore, away from home, but they may also play some friendlies in September and October FIFA windows. They are currently at the bottom of their group in the final round of qualifiers after losing 1-0 to Hong Kong last month. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India still have four matches left in the group, but only the winner will qualify for the Asian Cup, which means the Blue Tigers must aim for four wins out of all remaining matches.
