Eriksson front-runner for Indian job

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson headlines a list of 35 names shortlisted for the post of the Indian football team coach, which also includes the highly successful ex-Bengaluru FC manager Albert Roca.

The much-travelled Sven-Goran, a Swede, and Spaniard Roca apart, Tommy Taylor (England), Hakan Ericson (Sweden), Tomislav Sivic (Serbia), Lee Clark (England) and Lucas Alcaraz Gonzalez (Spain) are some of the other candidates shortlisted for the coveted post.

Sven-Goran, who was in charge of England for five years until 2006, had last month expressed his interest regarding the job to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The Indian team’s spirited showings in recent times had a ripple effect with the position of the men’s coach attracting over 250 applications, an unprecedented number that also includes some well-known names from Europe.

The post has been left vacant since Stephen Constantine resigned after the Indian team’s failure to make the knockout round of the AFC Asian Cup.

“The federation received over 250 applications. Of them, 125 were selected out of which 80 qualified as per AIFF’s requirements. Around 40 names have been forwarded to the technical committee. Seven to eight will be called for final interviews, following which the appointment will be made,” an AIFF official said.