The National football academy will be based in Pailan at the outskirts of the city, the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said here on Tuesday. The Pailan Group, which has joined the national federation as the sponsor of its team Indian Arrows, will provide the infrastructure for the academy. The academy was initially planned to be instituted in Goa and later in Gurgaon. The exact date of its inauguration is yet to be decided while the search for a foreign director, who will take over its charge, is on.
The national federation also decided to have a new Indian technical director alongside the English coach Desmond Bulpin for the Arrows.
The new technical director is yet to be finalised though the name of former India coach Sukhvinder Singh is making rounds. Das said that the current Indian coach Armando Colaco has expressed his desire to continue in the position and the national federation is considering it.
The AIFF secretary said India's three-match series against Pakistan, scheduled for the last week of August in England, is likely to be curtailed as the dates are clashing with the Federation Cup fixtures. The Indian team will play at least one match to respect the contract, he said. — Principal Correspondent
