Herbert, Constantine in fray for Indian football team coach

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NorthEast United FC coach Ricky Herbert and Rwanda manager Stephen Constantine have been shortlisted to fill up the vacant post of the head coach of the Indian national football team, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said Sunday.

The position was left vacant after Dutchman Wim Koevermans resigned in October following a 2-3 loss to Palestine. The Indian team are currently at its lowest ebb, lying at the 171st spot among 209 affiliated associations in the FIFA rankings.

Constantine was the manager of the Indian national team from 2002 till 2005, during which they won the LG Cup in Vietnam and finished runners-up in the Afro Asian Games. He is currently the coach of the Rwanda national team.

Herbert was the coach of New Zealand from 2005 to 2013 and recently coached the NorthEast side to a last-place finish among eight teams in the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL).

The Bhaichung Bhutia-led technical committee of the AIFF held a meeting Sunday and decided the final selection of the identity of the coach will be decided after conducting interviews of the shortlisted candidates.

Head coach of the Indian Under-17 team would also be determine after conducting interviews.

AIFF academy instructor Scott O'Donell was recommended by the technical committee to replace Robert Baan as the football governing body's technical director. The recommendation was forwarded to the executive committee which would take a final call on the appointment.

"We zeroed down to a certain criteria while short listing the head coach of the Indian senior national team. We took into consideration the candidate's experience with Indian football and also prior international experience while coaching a national team. We will select one among either Mr. Constantine or Mr. Herbert soon," Bhaichung said Sunday.