Nayeem replaces Sukhwinder

After a three-and-half-hour interview of the five short-listed candidates for national coach’s job last week, the panel of experts comp...

After a three-and-half-hour interview of the five short-listed candidates for national coach’s job last week, the panel of experts comprising P K Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Derek D’ Souza, today unanimously chose Syed Nayeemuddin for the senior side’s top job till the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

Interestingly, it was Chuni Goswami’s report that had forced Nayeemuddin to be summarily replaced by Sukhwinder Singh as the national coach way back in 1998. That year was Nayeem’s last assignment with the senior side of which Goswami was the manager.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Priya Ranjan Das Munsi, however, told newsmen shortly after the announcement that the new coach’s performance will be reviewed after India’s SAF Cup campaign in Pakistan. Das Munsi said: “After analysing the performances of the coach, manager, physiotherapist, team doctor and the overall report from the technical committee after India’s disastrous performances against Pakistan and Fiji, AIFF decided to recruit the national coach on this method of interviews.”

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Nayeemuddin was expectedly happy over his selection and soon listed out his plans. “My first priority is the SAF Games and a good performance there is essential to restore pride of our team. I am happy with the team and I believe that the core group of players are talented enough to take the team through even till the pre-World Cup qualifiers.”

He also revealed that he has submitted several proposals to the AIFF that includes special camps and exposure trips to South Korea, China and Malaysia. “I have put up proposals and I will meet the president and talk to him in detail,” he added.

As for those who couldn’t make it eventually — Subrata Bhattachrya, Derek Pereira and Alok Mukherjee — Munsi said: “All of them will be sent abroad together for attaining modern, scientific coaching methods, so that within the next five years we don’t have to hunt for a foreign coach.”

Das Munsi added that a foreign coach will be roped in some time between the SAF Cup and Asian Games to work as the Technical Director alongside Nayeemuddin.

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“We are going through the CVs of some foreign coaches from Brazil, Poland, Belgium and Africa. I believe by the end of this month, we can select one,” Das Munsi informed.

Meanwhile, former international custodian Atanu Bhattacharya has been chosen as the goalkeeping coach of the Indian team. Incidentally, the AIFF is gearing up to organise the under-20 Asian Youth Championship final in India. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) representatives are expected to visit India’s major soccer playing venues, including Kolkata, Goa and New Delhi on November 8 to inspect the infra-structure.

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