AIFF appoints Clifford Miranda as head coach of India U23 team for Asian Cup qualifiers

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) 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.

The name of Clifford Miranda was recommended by the Technical Committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), a meeting of which was held via video conferencing on Thursday, and was chaired by IM Vijayan.

"After extensive deliberations, the committee recommended Clifford Miranda for the post of Head Coach of the Indian men's U-23 national team. The committee recommended Nallappan Mohanraj as the assistant coach, Raghuvir Khanwalkar as the goalkeeping coach and Gavin Elias Araujo as the fitness coach," the AIFF informed in a report on its website on Thursday.

Other members present in the Technical Committee meeting were Pinky Bompal Magar, Harjinder Singh, Arun Malhotra, Climax Lawrence and Eugeneson Lyngdoh. The AIFF Technical Director, Syed Shabir Pasha, attended the meeting.

Welcoming Miranda's appointment, the AIFF Secretary General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran said, “Congratulations to Clifford for being selected as the head coach of the Indian men's U-23 national team, which will play in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in China. Clifford did well to win the Super Cup for Odisha FC, and I'm sure we can expect a good performance from the Indian team.”

In April, Miranda became the first Indian coach to win a major title with an ISL team in the shape of the Super Cup 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.

AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers probables list:

Goalkeepers: Sachin Suresh, Hrithik Tiwari, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Arsh Anwer Shaikh.

Defenders: Narender Gahlot, Hormipam Ruivah, Bikash Yumnam, Halen Nongtdu, Sanjeev Stalin, Sumit Rathi, Jitendra Singh, Abdul Rabeeh.

Midfielders: Thoiba Singh Moirangthem, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Jiteshwor Singh Yumkhaibam, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Vibin Mohanan, Brison Deuben Fernandes, Amarjit Singh Kiyam.

Forwards: Sourav K, Vikram Partap Singh, Parthib Gogoi, Rohit Danu, Ninthoinganba Meetei Khumanthem, Gurkirat Singh, Ayush Chhikara, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Suhail Ahmad Bhat.

Head Coach: Clifford Miranda.