Koevermans to takeover as new Indian football coach

Indian Football team might be reeling at the bottom of the ranking table, but Dutchman Wim Koevermans is ready to take the team higher in the pedestal. Yes, it is official now. Wim has joined as the India’s new senior national football team coach. The Dutchman, in his last assignment, was with the Republic of Ireland as High Performance Director.

The announcement was made by Kushal Das, the General Secretary of All India Football Federation at AIFF Headquarters, the Football House on Friday (June 15). Koevermans was presented an Indian jersey by Kushal Das. Koevermans would take charge of his new assignment on July 1 on a two-year contract.

The new coach is upbeat about his new job. In his first interaction with media, he said, “It’s an honour to be here in India. I’m looking forward to meeting the boys. I have travelled to many countries and have been fortunate to have played with some greats and also coached by some legendary coaches.”

Koevermans might be a new name for Indian football but he had been a successful player in his days. He was in the squad when Dutch team won the European Football Championship in 1988 under the coaching of Rinus Michels.

Koevermans has already planned what he is going to do next. “I’ve watched some videos of the Indian Team’s recent matches. I will travel to Muscat along with  technical director Rob Baan to watch India’s matches in the forthcoming AFC U-22 Championship,” he said.

Kushal Das clarified to media why the Dutchman was preferred as the head coach of Indian national football team. “We didn’t want to hurry into selecting the new Coach. We look forward to working with Wim. The AIFF will be extending its support to him in every possible direction,” he explained.

Before this formal announcement, Koevermans had a meeting with AIFF President Praful Patel. He had also interacted with AIFF’s e Executive Committee members and made a presentation which was appreciated by all.

When asked about the importance of coach education, the former Dutch International defender said,
“Coach education stays one of the most pertinent points. Good coaches will always make a difference at any level.”

Nehru Cup which Kicks-off on August 23 will be Wim’s first assignment with the Indian Football team.The tournament will consist of five-teams including India and would be played on a round-robin basis. The top two teams would qualify for the final which is slated for September 2.

The prize money of the Nehru Cup has been doubled to USD 200,000 from USD 100,000. So with the start of Nehru Cup, Wim’s tactics and techniques and approach will be closely scrutinised. whether he succeeds in his assignment or not but one this is very clear that he has a very tough job at hand.