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The Indian men's football team has been without a head coach since Stephen Constantine announced his resignation following the Blue Tigers' shock exit in the group stages of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
On March 15th, a full 60 days after the sudden resignation, the AIFF posted the job category of men's senior national team and U-23 men's team on their employment tab. The last date to express one's interest was 29th March and going by the reports, the highest governing body of football in India received over 250 candidates.
The AIFF trimmed the list down to 40 and forwarded the names to Shyam Thapa-chaired Technical Committee. After deliberate consideration of their CVs and vision to take Indian football forward alongside their salary demands, only four candidates remain.
The Technical Committee will interview the four candidates and finalize the head coach on Thursday, May 9. While big names like former England managers Sam Allardyce and Sven-Goran Eriksson did the rounds, they no longer remain in the fray. Here is everything you need to know about the 4 shortlisted candidates.
#4 Lee Min-sung
A legend in South Korean football, Lee Min-sung is the dark horse in contention. The 45-year-old had undergone the compulsory three-year military service and was the runners-up of the 2004 K-League with Pohang Steelers and 2008 K-League with FC Seoul.
Lee was also a part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup South Korea squad which reached the semi-finals of the tournament, having made a total of 67 appearances as a player.
Lee began his coaching career in 2010 as the assistant coach of Yongin City, a third division South Korean club. While he couldn't help them win promotion, World cup winning coach Marcelo Lippi made him his assistant for the 2012 season where they emerged as the champions of the Chinese Super League.
After trading sides as the assistant coach of numerous South Korean clubs like Chunnam Dragons, Gangwon FC, Ulsan Hyundai, and Chinese second division club Changchun Yatai, he finally became the assistant coach of the South Korean U-23 team a year before the Asian Games.
The team famously lifted the Asian Games trophy, preventing a lot of prominent players like Son Heung-Min and Hwang Hee-chan from undergoing compulsory military services.
Lee Min-sung has never had the experience of being the head coach of a club or country. It would be interesting to see if he still gets the nod ahead of the other competitors.
#3 Hakan Ericson
Hakan Ericson began his managerial career at the tender age of 23. After managing a lot of Swedish second-division and third division club, Hakan got his big break in 2011 when he was appointed as the manager of the Sweden U21 team.
He held the coveted position for six years, where Sweden won the 2015 UEFA U-21 European Championship. He also led Sweden in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where they lost to Japan and Nigeria after holding Colombia.
The 58-year-old's contract ran over in December 2017 and the Swedish FA decided not to renew it. Although he contacted a lot of clubs both in Sweden and abroad through agents, a deal was never materialized.
Despite not having coached a senior national side, Hakan's experience with the Sweden U-21 team could prove to be a valuable asset. India's performance in the U-23 stage is pretty abysmal and given that the national team job comes with the U-23 one, Hakan can take India to new heights.
#2 Igor Stimac
Going by the current rumours, Croatian Igor Stimac is the favorite to take over the reins from Stephen Constantine as his salary demands are within the AIFF's budget. As a player, he won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship with Yugoslavia and won the bronze medal with Croatia in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Igor also played in the Premier League with West Ham and Derby County in the late 1990s.
As a manager, he coached top Croatian clubs Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian top flight and UEFA Champions League in the late 2000s before the job of Croatian national team head coach was offered to him.
His performance with Croatian national team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers was a mixed success. While Croatia qualified for the main tournament by the skin of their teeth- finishing second in their group and as the eighth best second-placed team, the fans didn't like his style of play.
In a popular domestic Croatian newspaper's poll, 98% of the fans wanted him out as the head coach as they defeated their opponents mainly from set-pieces and defensive errors.
After giving his resignation, Igor took charge of the Persian Pro League club Sepahan FC midway through the 2015-16 season. The team was sitting on the sixth position in the points table before his arrival but ended on the eleventh spot.
Then, he took over the reins of Qatar Stars League club Al-Shahania SC midway through the season and saved them from the horrors of relegation. Igor hasn't managed a side since May 3, 2017.
#1 Albert Roca
While the previous three names are aliens to Indian football, Albert Roca reached the final of the 2016 AFC Cup with Bengaluru FC, won the 2017 Federation Cup, and won the 2018 Super Cup alongside finishing as the table toppers of the ISL in the 2017-18 season.
As a player, Roca has played in the Spanish second division for numerous clubs before beginning his managerial career in 1998. He won the Copa Catalunya with fourth division club CE Europa in his debut season defeating Barcelona 'B' in the final.
He got his big break in 2003 when Frank Rijkaard appointed him as Barcelona's conditioning coach for six years running. The next year, Galatasaray roped Rijkaard and Roca continued his work there.
But when Rijkaard helmed Saudi Arabia in 2011, Roca was promoted as his assistant. Saudi Arabia reached the semi-finals of the 2012 Arab Nations Cup, held Iran in the group stages of the 2012 WAFF Championships, and defeated China in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup group stages.
In an attempt to come out of Rijkaard's shadow, Roca took over the job of El Salvador's head coach. Therein, El Salvador finished fourth in the 2014 Copa Centroamericana and helped El Salvador reach the Third Round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Qualifiers.
After a one year hiatus, Roca began his storied career in Bengaluru FC where he led various national team players like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, and Sandesh Jhingan.
Given his experience in Indian football and coaching senior national team of El Salvador, Roca is the perfect candidate for the coveted job. However, what could prove to be a hurdle is his salary demands as he is demanding slightly over AIFF's budget.
Who do you think should be the next coach of the Indian football team after Stephen Constantine? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
