By Samindra Kunti
February 8 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and their U17 coach Nicolai Adam have parted ways after players claimed abuse by the Hungarian coach. The incident has disrupted India’s preparations for the U17 World Cup on home soil this October.
In a statement, the AIFF announced that the governing body and Adam “parted ways with mutual consent” without elaborating further. Adam received a severance compensation of $65,720, according to local reports.
Savio Madeira will take over on an interim basis until the AIFF have identified Adam’s successor. The team’s tours have been put on hold. India’s U17 team was scheduled to travel to South Africa for a training camp on February 15 followed by trips to Germany, Namibia and the USA.
Adam had been appointed as the coach of India’s U17 team two years ago on the recommendation of the German Football Federation, the DFB. Last month 21 players from the team submitted a letter to AIFF president Praful Patel, alleging physical abuse by Adam. The players were unequivocal and accused Adam and his assistant Etibar Ibrahimov of physical and verbal abuse. They did not want to continue playing under Adam.
In response, the AIFF immediately launched an investigation but the organisation made neither their findings nor their arrangements with Adam public.
Under Adam, the team played 26 matches (friendlies and under-16 internationals). They won only four matches, but he was credited with improving the team’s fitness and instilling discipline and structure in the playing group. The AIFF have already begun the process of finding a new successor, according to secretary general Kushal Das.
The saga has been damaging to the team’s development as they prepare for the U17 World Cup, the first major FIFA tournament India is set to host. The AIFF’s aim has always been to ready a competitive home team to go toe to toe with the world’s best teams, but whoever is appointed as the new coach will have precious little time to prepare the team for their biggest challenge yet.
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