NEW DELHI: Clifford Miranda was on Thursday appointed as the head coach of the Indian men's U-23 football team by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Alongside him, the AIFF technical committee also recommended crucial appointments for the team, including Nallappan Mohanraj as assistant coach, Raghuvir Khanwalkar as the goalkeeping coach, and Gavin Elias Araujo as the fitness coach.
In addition to the coaching staff announcements, the AIFF also unveiled a list of 28 probables who will be part of the squad for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar Qualifiers.
The meeting of the technical committee, which made these decisions, was conducted through video conferencing and was chaired by Indian football legend IM Vijayan.
Other attendees at the meeting included Pinky Bompal Magar, Harjinder Singh, Arun Malhotra, Climax Lawrence, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, and Syed Shabir Pasha, who serves as the AIFF technical director.
Miranda brings a wealth of experience to his new role as head coach, having represented India for nine years as a midfielder from 2005 to 2014. During his playing career with the national team, he achieved significant success by winning two SAFF Championships, two Nehru Cup titles, and an AFC Challenge Cup with the Blue Tigers.
At the club level, Miranda had a stellar career with Dempo SC, clinching the NFL/I-League title five times.
Furthermore, he holds the distinction of being the first Indian coach to guide an Indian Super League (ISL) team to a major title, leading Odisha FC to victory in the Super Cup, which took place in Kerala.
With such an impressive track record both as a player and coach, the appointment of Miranda is expected to bring valuable expertise and leadership to the Indian men's U-23 football team.
“Congratulations to Clifford for being selected as the head coach of the Indian men's U-23 national team, which will play in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in China,” said AIFF secretary general Dr Shaji Prabhakaran in a statement.
“Clifford did well to win the Super Cup for Odisha FC, and I'm sure we can expect a good performance from the Indian team,” Prabhakaran added.
The AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers, to be held from September 6-12 in Dalian, China, will also serve as a qualifier for the men's Olympic football tournament in Paris next year.
The Indian squad will undergo a preparatory camp in Bhubaneswar starting on August 12.
India is drawn against hosts China, Maldives and UAE in Group G.
Probables:
