The All Indian Football Federation: A secret agency?

After the shock losses in Nepal under national coach Savio Madeira, the AIFF finally seems to have sprung into action from a perpetual state of limbo.

The appointment of Mr Robert Baan as Technical director was an expected one, as the AIFF were looking to fill this post with a professional of considerable experience. The Dutch gent definitely boasts of an impressive CV, having managed powerhouses such as VVV Venlo, FC Twente and being the assistant coach of the Netherlands in the early 80′s. His last job was in Australia where he was the Technical Director of the Socceroos.

Wim Koevermans, the next Bob Houghton?

However, the appointment of Savio Madeira as the national team coach seems to be a very well documented blunder by the AIFF. A mistake that the federation does not have to live with. The appointment of his successor saw a lot of speculation, with names like Istvan Urbanyi, Cho-Kwang Rae and even a rather far fetched claim of Guus Hiddinck being interested in the position. The AIFF, however is due to appoint Wim Koevermans as the next Indian gaffer.The former Dutch International is reported to have been in New Delhi in the early part of May. The news of his being coach however, only came out in the latter half of May. A clandestine operation by the AIFF, it seems.

Another decision taken in May was to appoint Australian Arthur Papas as the Indian U22 and AIFF developmental side manager. Raymond Libregts was earlier due to take over this post.

Papas, the new Pailan Arrows and India U22 coach.

However, he was not able to accept the job due to personal reasons. Though some highly placed sources claim that he wasn’t happy with the infrastructure in place and found the fields unsuitable for footballing purposes. With the unwillingness of the AIFF to go for another Indian man at the helm of affairs, a decision which has constantly backfired, the AIFF decided to go with the Australian.

The AIFF, with the growing popularity of the game in the country, have time and again come under tremendous scrutiny, the reasons for which are varying in nature. This time though, the bosses of football in India have acted with extreme pace, leaving the media and fans in the dark. The federation have acted more like a secret agency, an action being welcomed by the Blue Tigers’ supporters.