Ex-India footballer Syed Sabir Pasha joins AIFF as Technical Director

NEW DELHI: Former India international Syed Sabir Pasha has joined the All India Football Federation (AIFF) as its new Technical Director (TD), it was announced on Wednesday.

He is the first Indian to be appointed to this position on a full-time basis. Pasha brings with him a lot of experience, having played and coached both at the domestic and international level for several years.

Welcoming Pasha, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said, ''Given his experience and the work he has done throughout his playing and coaching career, he is a deserving candidate to be the Technical Director. We are very sure that he will grow in the job and will be taking the leadership role in the technical matters of Indian football.''

AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran added: ''He will be guided and mentored by senior pro Vincent Subramanyam, who is our Chief Technical Officer.'' Pasha made his debut for the national team in the 1993 Nehru Cup and played 12 matches. He is famous in Indian football circles for scoring the all-important goal in the final of 1995 SAF Games against Bangladesh in Chennai.

Pasha has played and participated in international tournaments like Nehru Cup in 1993 and 1995, SAFF Cup in 1995, SAF Games in 1995, Asia Cup Qualifiers in 1996 and World Cup Qualifiers in 1996. Pasha was part of gold-medal winning team in the 1995 SAF Games and was a runner-up finisher in the 1995 SAFF Cup. The former winger won the golden boot twice -- in 1994 with six goals and in 1998 with nine goals. He has scored 26 goals in the Santosh Trophy for Tamil Nadu.