New Delhi: Thomas Dennerby resigned as the head coach of the Indian women’s team after the Paris Olympic qualifiers, ending his two-year tenure from 2021 to 2023. What followed was a revolving door: Langam Chaoba Devi (January-September 2024), Santosh Kashyap (September 2024-January 2025) and Crispin Chhetri (January-2026). Suren Chhetri and Joakim Alexandersson also had brief spells, highlighting the instability.Last year, despite leading India to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in 23 years, Crispin was relegated while Amelia Valverde was roped in by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
In the intercontinental tournament in Australia, the Indian team lost all three games: 1-2 against Vietnam, 0-11 against Japan, in desperate need of a victory, and 1-3 against Chinese Taipei.After that, a lot of soul-searching began. Like most reflections in football, it all started when coach Ernesto Valverde was axed.The AIFF Technical Committee recommended that Valverde not renew his contract. Instead, they suggested Indian options – Anthony Andrews (East Bengal) and former coach Crispin Chhetri – as the two main contenders.TOI has learned that the appointment is imminent and Crispin is expected to be approved shortly.
When the team finishes the tournament without qualifying for the next stage, questions must be asked and answers sought from those responsible for the team’s series of mistakes, as it has caused huge embarrassment to the country.
Varanka Alemao | AIFF Executive Committee and Women’s Football Committee Member
However, if giving continuity to coaching is of utmost importance, the AIFF has failed to achieve this goal. Questions regarding decisions regarding these stopgap solutions must also be raised with the Technical Committee.Costa Rican Valverde has an impressive resume and experience with both the national team and club. However, this approach to appointments dissatisfied most people, including the players. She has six weeks to connect with players and introduce her system.One technical committee member believes six weeks is enough time for Valverde to make changes, especially given her seniority. But it turned out that the constant changes in strategy and the demoralizing loss to Japan were key to their decision not to continue working with her.
Two days before the first game, the players had to ensure a bizarre shock. Questions must be asked and those responsible for mistakes that have brought shame to the country must be held accountable.
Varanka Alemao
Amid the off-field troubles of irregular domestic leagues and haphazard friendlies, this feels more like a hopeful bet than a well-thought-out decision. The Hail Mary did not materialize as AIFF insiders had hoped.Valanka Alemao, a member of the AIFF Executive Committee and Women’s Football Committee, wrote in an email to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey: “After the team entered the competition and failed to qualify for the next stage, questions must be raised and answers sought from those responsible for the series of mistakes made by the team, as it has caused huge embarrassment to the country.”“The technical committee approved the appointment without being required to prepare or publish any list of potential candidates, as happened when the women’s coach was selected without the knowledge of the executive committee. “Where is the need to bring in someone so closely connected to the game and how much will it cost to pay those three,” Varanca asked.
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Do you think AIFF’s decision not to renew Amelia Valverde’s contract was justified?
Just before the game started, another controversy arose when the wrong size jerseys were provided to the team and coaching staff. We made a last ditch effort and arranged the kit through a local supplier. AIFF has launched an investigation into the fiasco.Varanca added: “Two days before the first game, the players must ensure that there is a strange shock. Questions must be asked and those responsible for these mistakes that bring shame to the country must be punished.”Strangely, East Bengal’s Anthony Andrews didn’t get the job despite his stellar resume. An AFC ‘A’ license holder, Andrews led Kerala to back-to-back Indian Women’s League (IWL) titles and East Bengal won the title under his leadership last season. He was considered as an option in 2023 after Dennerby withdrew, but it ultimately didn’t materialize.However, the downside for Crispin Chhetri and Anthony Andrews is that neither of them hold an AFC professional coaching license.Amid the renewed attitude towards Indian coaches, the fact that the U-17 and U-20 teams are coached by foreigners cannot be ignored. Former Italy international Pamela Conte will represent India U-17 team in the Asia Cup in May. Swede Joakim Alexandersson coaches the U-20 team and will lead the charge at the Women’s Asian Cup in April.Next up for India is the FIFA international window in April – matches against Australia, Malawi and Kenya – and the South African Women’s Championship in June.But judging from the current situation, the situation of the Indian women’s football team is no better than last year.
