Constantine to take up U-17 India manager role on a temporary basis

Current head coach of the Indian football team, Stephen Constantine, has been asked to temporarily take charge of the under-17 football team as well. This has been done keeping in mind the FIFA U-17 World Cup that will be held in India later this year. 

Constantine had told AIFF that he was available for help after German coach Nicolai Adam quit. “It is up to them,” Constantine had told HT in Siliguri on Monday, referring to the AIFF. And according to sources in AIFF, president Praful Patel asked Constantine to go to Goa, where the U-17 team resumed training last week.

Although the federation, along with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), has started work on finding a new coach, it's unlikely that this search will end soon.

Shaji Prabhakaran, former FIFA Regional Development Officer for South and Central Asia, said Constantine, though in a temporary role, could help motivate the boys. “I think his presence will motivate the boys; they will be training under the man who coaches Sunil Chhetri, someone most of these teenagers look up to, he said. “It will also send a good message across that the AIFF has stepped in with the best resource available,” he said.