5 Possible replacements for Nicolai Adam as India U-17 coach

Abhishek Yadav

Frankly, it was a shock to most Indian football fans when reports emerged of the sacking of Nicolai Adam as the Indian U-17 coach. Contrary to the popular belief (that Nicolai Adam was sacked due to the results with the national team), the German was sacked as the players and members of the staff had complained to the AIFF about his methods.

After a meeting with AIFF President Praful Patel, he agreed to step down as coach. But, that leaves the AIFF with a huge decision in their hands, and the least amount of time to make a decision, ahead of probably the biggest footballing event in Indian history.

There are a lot of questions, without a lot of time to answer them. Recently, Praful Patel clarified that they’re looking for a coach as a replacement and would want him to take over by February. Keeping the fact that the new coach will have around 6-months to put his ideas through, we make a list of possible candidates for the same.

#1 Abhishek Yadav

Abhishek Yadav is currently the COO of the Indian U-17 World Cup team, and he reportedly led the negotiation between the AIFF and Nicolai Adam at the initial stage of the debacle. He has been with the U-17 squad almost throughout their time with Nicolai Adam, and also travelled with the squad as they went to Germany.

Additionally, he was responsible for scouting most of the youngsters, hence will know their strengths and weaknesses inside out. The former Indian international has made real headway as AIFF’s Head of Scouting, but with eight months to go to the tournament, it might allow the smoothest of transition for the youngsters if the former striker takes up the role permanently.