Clifford Miranda made head coach of Indian men's U-23 football team
The All-Indian Football Federation (AIFF) named Clifford Miranda as the head coach of the Indian men's U-23 squad on Thursday. The AIFF technical committee also recommended the hirings of assistant coach Nallappan Mohanraj, goalkeeping coach Raghuvir Khanwalkar, fitness coach Gavin Elias Araujo.
The 28 likely candidates for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar Qualifiers were also made public by the AIFF. In addition to Syed Shabir Pasha, the technical director of the AIFF, the technical committee also included Pinky Bompal Magar, Harjinder Singh, Arun Malhotra, Climax Lawrence, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, and IM Vijayan as its chairperson through video conference.
Miranda, a midfielder who played for India for nine years, from 2005 to 2014, with the Blue Tigers, won two SAFF Championships, two Nehru Cups, and one AFC Challenge Cup. He won five NFL/I-League championships at the club level with Dempo SC.
Miranda led Odisha FC to a Super Cup victory in Kerala, becoming the first Indian coach to do it with an ISL franchise. “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," said AIFF secretary general Dr Shaji Prabhakaran in a statement.
“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," Prabhakaran added. The AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers, which will take place in Dalian, China, from September 6–12, will also double as a qualifying event for the men's Olympic football competition in Paris the following year.
Beginning on August 12, the Indian team will participate in a training camp in Bhubaneswar. China, the host nation, the Maldives, and the UAE make up Group G.