Amelia Valverde's India stint may be extended beyond initial contract
Image Source: Internet
Kolkata: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is considering extending the contract of Amelia Valverde, the head coach of the India women's team, beyond its current end date. Valverde was appointed for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, where India lost all three matches and were eliminated from the group league.
Two AIFF officials have expressed satisfaction with Valverde's coaching during the tournament, and a decision on her contract will be taken after she files her report on the tournament. The report will be discussed by IM Vijayan, the technical committee chair, Subrata Pal, director national teams, and technical director Syed Sabir Pasha.
The future of Valverde's assistant coaches, Crispin Chhetri and Priya PV, may also be discussed. Although Valverde brought two Costa Ricans as her assistants in Australia, AIFF has not ruled out keeping Indians on the staff.
Goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu Elangbam and the team doctor are the only ones who have not returned to India, as the rest of the squad returned on Wednesday. Elangbam suffered a concussion following a collision with India captain Sweety Devi in the 1-3 defeat to Chinese Taipei on Tuesday.
AIFF's integrity officer, Vivek Vir, will head an inquiry into how wrong-sized jerseys were sent to Australia. Payment to the vendor in Tirupur has been withheld pending the inquiry, which will be completed next week.
