Eager to contribute to the progress of Indian football, says AIFF technical director

Newly appointed All India Football Federation technical director Isac Doru Monday said he is looking forward to contribute to the progress of Indian football.

The Romanian was selected from a list of over 60 candidates who had applied for the post which was advertised earlier this year.

The 56-year-old comes with a rich experience of almost 29 years in international football across many countries namely France, Japan, USA, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Qatar amongst others. He was last employed as the Sporting Director of three-time J-league Champions Yokohama Marinos FC.

"I need to thank All India Football Federation for the opportunity. I'm eager to make a positive contribution to the progress of football in India, and to work with everyone from the AIFF family," Doru said.

"I am looking forward to starting employment immediately after obtaining the travelling visa to India," he added.

AIFF President Praful Patel also extended his best wishes to Doru.

"It's nice to have Mr Doru on board. His vast experience will come in handy for Indian Football. I expect him to guide us to the next level," Patel said in a statement.

The post of technical director remained vacant since Australian Scott O'Donnell decided to quit in 2017.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said the biggest challenge is to "sustain the momentum" gained by Indian football recently.

"Indian football has been experiencing a significant transition in recent years. I look up to Mr. Doru to work on, and improve on the roadmap already laid down for the youth teams, and at the same time make value addition to our coach education programme, grassroots, women's football, and men's football too," Das said.