Who is Stefan Tarkovic? Slovakian manager shortlisted for vacant Indian head coach position

Stefan Tarkovic has managed Slovakia and Kyrgyzstan on the international stage

The Indian national football team is currently without a head coach after Manolo Marquez stepped down from his position last month. With AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification slipping through their hands, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has stepped up their search for a new manager.

As per latest news, Khalid Jamil, Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic are the three shortlisted candidates to fill the vacant position. While the former two names are well known within the Indian football community, Tarkovic is someone who has raised a few eyebrows.

Here are some key details about the Slovak football manager:

Who is Stefan Tarkovic?

Stefan Tarkovic is a former football player who turned manager in 1997. He was born on 18th February 1973 in Prešov, Czechoslovakia. The country later broke into Czech Republic and Slovakia, hence the coach became of Slovak descent.

The 52-year-old holds a UEFA Pro Coaching Badge and also works as a UEFA Match Observer, where he analyzes the Champions League and the Europa League matches for the UEFA Technical Committee. A part of the Slovak football association since January 2000, Tarkovic also currently serves as the Vice-President of the Football Coaches Union of Slovakia.

Also Read: Top 10 coaches who applied for Indian Football team head coach role

Stefan Tarkovic’s managerial career

In terms of his managerial career, Stefan Tarkovic got his first taste of management in 1997 with the Slovakia Women’s U19 team. Since then, he has taken charge of Slovakia Men’s U18 team and his country’s football clubs – Kosice, Tatran Presov, and Zilina until 2013.

Stefan Tarkovic was given the position of Slovakia football team’s assistant manager between 2013 and 2018, before becoming the caretaker manager for the national team. He also became the Technical Director of Slovakia between January 2019 and November 2020.

The manager was eventually given a chance to become Slovakia’s head coach in 2020. After a one-and-a-half-year stint with his nation’s football team, Stefan moved to manage the Kyrgyzstan national team from April 2023 to June 2024.

Stefan took charge of the Slovakian football team in the UEFA Euro competition that was played in 2021 as his side was eliminated in the group stage. But his side did beat Robert Lewandowski‘s Poland 2-1 in the group stage.

⏰ RESULT ⏰🇵🇱 10-man Poland suffer defeat in opener 🇸🇰 Slovakia secure second victory in EURO finals 🤔 Did you see that coming? #EURO2020

— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) June 14, 2021

Under him, the Sokoli were relegated from UEFA Nations League’s Group B to Group C. In terms of FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, the manager helped Slovakia to a third-place finish in the group; however, unfortunately, they did not get a World Cup berth as only the top two teams had a chance to go through.

Stefan’s Kyrgyzstan football team failed to make it out of their group in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In terms of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, Kyrgyzstan finished second in Group D of round two of the qualifiers, under Tarkovic. This meant that the nation directly qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and round three of the World Cup qualifiers.

The 52-year-old has not worked in any other managerial posts since leaving his role with the Kyrgyzstan national football team in June 2024.

Also Read: Stefan Tarkovic in three-man AIFF shortlist for Indian Football Team head coach role

Tarkovic’s playing style

The Slovak manager likes to play with four defenders at the back. In terms of formations, he has set up his team in the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 style of play. His teams are known for transitional play and defensive solidity, where opponents rarely score more than two goals in a game.

In an attacking sense, Stefan Tarkovic’s sides rarely play out goalless draws. The players are encouraged to absorb pressure and break in transition. Another aspect of his team’s play is that they identify the key attacking threats of the opposition and nullify them through man marking or with a collective effort.

Will Stefan be a good fit in the Indian football team setup?

Stefan will bring with him a different brand of football, something that the Indian national team players may take some time to adjust to. The manager focuses on defending in unison and this means the attacking players will have to put in an additional shift.

The Indian national football team is arguably decent in defence and Stefan Tarkovic will complement this further. Counter-attacking football could be the right way to go forward, at least for now, given the pace the likes of Liston, Chhangte and Ashique bring with them.

With the focus of AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification in the remaining four games, Stefan’s tactics could help India if the players adapt quickly. Is Slovak the right man for the job? Only time will tell!

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