Irish coach tipped to replace Nayeemuddin

According to AIFF sources the Irish coach is ranked among Europe8217;s top fifteen Fifa coaches. Fifa has also agreed to bear a part of the expenses involved in the appointment of the foreign coach. This will be as part of Fifa8217;s soccer development programme for Asia.

Meanwhile, theunceremonious exit of the National coach Syed Nayeemuddin has come as a surprise for many. Nayeem who coached the national side in the Asian Games, was looking forward to an extension of his term, especially as the team8217;s performance at Bangkok had been slightly better than what was expected. The Indian team for the pre-Olympic qualifying round would be a blend of the best talents drawn from the national under-16, under-21 and under-23 teams. The AIFF is also on the look out for two more foreign coaches who will be in charge of the junior teams.

India is drawn with Thailand, Singapore, Laos and Brunei in the group 9 of the Asia Zone pre-Olympics qualifiers, likely to be held in Sept 99. Altogether 34 teams are in the fray for the three spots allotted by Fifa for Asia. The winners of each of the nine groups will qualify for the final round.