The AIFF today appointed Portugal's Luis Norton de Matos as the head coach of the India U-17 team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled to be held in October this year
India U-17 coach Luis Norton de Matos (left) along with AIFF chief Praful Patel yesterday
New Delhi: The AIFF today appointed Portugal's Luis Norton de Matos as the head coach of the India U-17 team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled to be held in October this year.
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A former manager with the Benfica Reserve side, De Matos replaces Nicolai Adam, who was forced to resign under controversial circumstances after a revolt from the players. De Matos had earlier met the AIFF Advisory Committee comprising former India captains Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan apart from Sports Authority of India (SAI) DG Injeti Srinivas for a round of interviews. He also met AIFF president Praful Patel in Mumbai yesterday for a final round before the parent body zeroed in on him. He has had five appearances for the Portugal national side.
Welcoming De Matos, Patel said: "It's nice to have De Matos on board. His experience of handling youth teams will come in handy for the U-17 boys as we wish to leave no stone unturned to field a competitive team in the U-17 World Cup. I expect him to guide our boys to put up a strong performance in the World Cup."
The 63-year-old coach thanked AIFF for making him a "part of the project."
"My role will be to orchestrate everything wherein the players will be playing their part," he told the AIFF Committee.
"I admire AIFF's vision and the U-17 World Cup will act as a base for development of Football in India. The players need to believe in themselves to do something special for the Country," he stated.
"I do have an Indian connection as my great grandfather was born in Goa," he informed.
"I will retain the positives of the last two years as we move forward," he maintained.
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