AIFF to shortlist seven coaches out of 75 applications for India U-17 job

AMONG THE MANY APPLICATIONS recieved for the vacant post of the India Under 17 coach's post, Stuart Pearce is one name that is drawing attention. The former England U-21 coach has also played for the England national team, Stuart Pearce, is among the shortlisted names as reported by the Times of India.

AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said,

"We have a shortlist of about seven coaches at the moment from 75 applications. We will review the applications once again on Monday and then start video calls with all these names. May be, once we have an idea of what each coach can bring to the team, we will call the final two candidates for an interview here"

Das added,

"We are not looking at a big name. We are looking at someone with good youth experience who has managed good teams. If he has been with the national teams, it's a plus for us. We are essentially on the lookout for a father figure who will take care of the kids and provide them with a competitive edge" 

Pearce has had stints with clubs like Manchester City and Nottingham Forest. With the England under-21, Pearce has coached fro six years. He also coached the Great Britain Olympic team in the year 2012.

Colm Toal, is also said to be in the ray of shortlisted names for the post. Toal has been former AIFF technical director and Under-19 coach and has more than three decades of coaching experience. Toal was last seen in India as the Technical Director of I-League club Minerva Punjab FC.

The Indian federation is looking for the appointed candidate to join the U-17 before the turn of the month.

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