Nicolai Adam sacked as India U-17 coach

The German's position became untenable after players confirmed physical abuse by him...

The Indian U-17 team is sure to suffer a jolt with head coach Nicolai Adam being sacked by the All India Football Federation. The German coach was reportedly asked to resign on Tuesday evening after his team’s poor performances in the recently concluded Granatkin Memorial Cup in Russia.

The team finished at the bottom of the table in a 16-team tournament, winning just one off five games. This also included an 8-0 defeat at the hands of hosts, Russia.

Although the AIFF yesterday denied his sacking, Khel Now understands that the German was relieved of his duties and that the governing bpdy is in discussions to work out the modalities of his departure.

Sources close to the developments told KN that as many as 21 players of the India U-17 squad wrote to the federaton confirming physical abuse by the manager. The players further stated their disillusionment with Adam's methods and refused to play under him. It is learned that his splintered relationship with the players, a sequence of poor results and a general lack of direction in the lead up to the U-17 FIFA World Cup made the German's position untenable.

Adam rose to prominence with the Azerbaijan U-17 team and the AIFF had spent around Rs. 8 crore to get his services in 2015. Adam also has the experience of working as the International Football Development Advisor for German Football Association (DFB).

The timing couldn’t have been worse for such a massive decision. India is set to host the U-17 FIFA World Cup which begins in October this year and losing the coach just before such a high-profile tournament can always be risky. Adam had clearly built a strong team and the performances on the pitch were good, but were not being converted to positive results.

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The Blue Colts had some very strong performances in the AFC U16 Championship last year, giving good fight against stronger teams like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The team had also made a semi-final exit at the SAFF Championship in 2015 – a tournament they entered as favorites. The decision is sure to affect the preparations of the team, as the coach had seemingly built a strong environment and fighting temperament in the squad. It will be interesting to see who the football’s governing body appoints to replace the former coach.