What’s the Story?
On 7th of February, the AIFF announced that Nicolai Adam has agreed to step down as the U-17 team by mutual consent with the AIFF. But, on Wednesday, Praful Patel revealed the episode with the German was anything but ugly. He said, speaking to the Hindu, “It was unfortunate the way things happened. On behalf of the AIFF, I can say that we took the decision in the interest of the players”.
“We’ll obviously get a replacement and the new coach will take charge soon. We will have an interim coach to handle the team, but the replacement will take over the team by the end of February”, he added.
In case you didn’t know..
Nicolai Adam was appointed as the Indian U-17 coach in April 2015, a move which was lauded from all corners. The German has a reputation for being a brilliant coach at youth level, which was evident in the way his team played on some occasions as they prepare for the U-17 World Cup set to take place in October.
The Heart of the matter
When reports emerged first that Nicolai Adam has been sacked as the Indian coach, it was believed to be due to the poor performance of the team recently. The team had lost to Russia’s U 18 team eight goals to nil.
But, the decision was made after the players and the members of the management made a written complaint to the AIFF about the coach’s methods.
What’s next?
With around eight months remaining for the finals which are scheduled to be held in October, it is in no way the best preparation for the team. According to Praful Patel, they have received a lot of applications for the position, and they’ll be choosing the best among them.
The new coach will have around six months to get to know the players and train them. The AIFF has pledged it’s full support, “The team will resume training soon and will continue to get the best facilities.”
Sportskeeda’s Take
It is quite the embarrassing episode which unfolded eight months ahead of probably the biggest footballing event the country’s history. But, it will be in everyone’s interest to move on from this.
The next coach will have a job on his hands to get to know the players and get his ideas through to the players, in the short space of time.
