MARGAO
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday appointed former India player Clifford Miranda as head coach of the India U-23 team for the upcoming Qualifiers for the AFC U23 Asian Cup football tournament to be held in Qatar next year.
Miranda's name was recommended by the AIFF Technical Committee, a meeting of which was held via video conferencing on Thursday, and was chaired by IM Vijayan. The committee also recommended Nallappan Mohanraj as the assistant coach, Raghuvir Khanwalkar as the goalkeeping coach and Gavin Araujo as the fitness coach, the AIFF said in a report on its website on Thursday.
In April, Miranda became the first Indian coach to win a major title with an ISL team when he guided Odisha FC to the Super Cup title in Kerala. Miranda had a glittering playing career with the Indian senior team, which spanned nine years from 2005 to 2014. The midfielder won two SAFF Championships, two Nehru Cup titles and an AFC Challenge Cup with the Blue Tigers. At the club level, he was a five-time NFL/I-League champion with Dempo SC.
A probables list of 28 players for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers was also announced. The squad will begin their preparatory camp in Bhubaneswar on August 12. India are drawn against Maldives, United Arab Emirates and hosts China PR in Group G of the qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held between September 6-12, 2023 in Dalian.
The AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, which will also serve as a qualifier for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024, will be the competition's sixth edition, and India will attempt to make it to the final tournament for the first time.
