India coach hunt gets World Cup flavour as vastly-experienced Troussier, Schafer and Herrera show interest

Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is sifting through the applications that they have received for the vacant position of chief coach and will be pleased to see high-profile names, including coaches who have guided teams at the FIFA World Cup.
According to sources, French coach Philippe Troussier, who coached Japan to the AFC Asian Cup title in 2000 and was in charge of the co-hosts at the FIFA World Cup in 2002 where they secured a historic knockout stage spot, is among the applicants.
Former Mexico manager Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera is also understood to be interested in the India job, while Winfried Schafer, who coached Cameroon at the 2002 World Cup and won the African Cup of Nations, is ready for another challenge with India at age 74.
“The vacancy has attracted interest from coaches who have managed teams at the highest level,” a source who has been tracking the developments told TOI on Saturday. “Troussier and Schafer have coached multiple national teams with good success. Herrera served as Mexico coach at the World Cup (in 2014) and led them to the quarterfinals. Several agents and representatives are making a determined push for their own clients, many of them big names. It will be interesting to see how AIFF handles the selection process.”
All three experienced coaches are out of jobs at the moment.
While Troussier had a disappointing campaign with the Vietnam national team that led to his sacking in March, ‘Piojo’ parted ways by mutual agreement after Club Tijuana failed to qualify for the Liga MX playoffs.
Schafer last took charge of Sanat Naft midway into the season when they were struggling to save relegation in the Iranian top-flight league.
It was not clear if the AIFF would consider any of the experienced coaches who have applied for the job.
“As of now, the process is only at the shortlisting stage. It might not be feasible for the federation to consider these big names since all of them will demand a big salary,” said another source.
After sacking Igor Stimac for his failure to guide India to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, despite an encouraging start, AIFF called for applications from coaches with minimum 10-15 years of experience at the elite youth and senior level.
Before the July 3 deadline, the federation received a total of 291 applications. 100 of these applicants have UEFA Pro License diplomas, while 20 hold AFC Pro License diplomas and three have CONMEBOL licenses.
“We have received an overwhelming response with some of the marquee names having expressed their interest in India,” said AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey. “As we get ready to write a new chapter in Indian football, it’s crucial for us to have a coach who is committed to the development of Indian football, to understand our culture and help design the national football philosophy. We are hoping to onboard the candidate by end July, to ensure India utilise the September FIFA window participation.”