Norton de Matos is reportedly set to be appointed as the India U-17 head coach. The veteran Portuguese emerged as the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) front-runner for the post, according to PTI.
The position of the head coach has been vacant since German Nicolai Adam was sacked last month over alleged physical abuse, combined with a poor run of results from the Indian colts.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das on Wednesday revealed that the 63-year-old De Matos was the number one choice of the committee, and that that an announcement would be made soon. “De Matos is the number choice of the committee. He will come to India and meet the Sports Secretary and AIFF President and then we will take a decision. The final decision on the coach’s appointment will be taken by Mr. Praful Patel [AIFF President],” Das was quoted as saying.
After hanging up his boots as a player in 1987, De Matos had a number of coaching stints across Portugal, mostly in the second division including Benfica ‘B’ team. He was also the manager of Guinea-Bissau between 2010-’12.
India will be hosting the U-17 World Cup later in the year, which will be the country’s first ever FIFA event.