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The 2019-20 season of the Indian Super League will see some major overhaul as Indian coaches will become eligible to be the head coach of the franchise teams. However, the Indian coaches need to hold the AFC Pro License to do so. Moreover, the FSDL have made it mandatory for the sides to include an Indian assistant coach in their ranks.
Currently, there are fifteen coaches in India who complete the AFC Pro-License criteria. They are Savio Medeira, V Soundararajan, Hering Shangpliang, Khalid Jamil, Mariano Dias, Santosh Kashyap, Hilal Parray Rasool, Derrick Pereira, Thangboi Singto, Floyd Pinto, Stanley Rozario, Noushad Moosa, Syed Sabir Pasha, A Robin Charles Raj, and Bino George.
As of this writing, there are 313 AFC 'A' Licensed coaches in India. Sensing the opportunity to manage an ISL side, a lot of these AFC 'A' Licensed coaches might look for an upgrade.
While they have the opportunity to coach the ISL franchises, it remains to be seen whether any ISL side will opt for them. Chennaiyin FC head coach John Gregory had announced that he would leave the club from next season onwards whereas Kerala Blasters are without any manager. Only time will tell if any one of these fifteen names will take the mantle from them.
The second rule which FSDL implemented, that of having a compulsory Indian assistant coach, will come as a headache for some of the ISL franchises. FC Goa, for instance, doesn't have an Indian assistant coach. However, they have Derrick Pereira and Clifford Miranda, Technical Director and assistant coach of the Reserve Team respectively in their ranks.
Jamshedpur FC and FC Pune City, too, have a similar problem. One ought to note that Pradyum Reddy is an Indian-origin Scottish coach and not entirely Indian. Hence, FC Pune City management will have to look for alternative names to fill his shoes.
Indian assistant coaches play a huge role in settling the Indian core of any ISL franchise before the head coach takes matters into their hands. Their say in the day-to-day affairs of the club might increase from now.
