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India coach Stephen Constantine accepts contract extension

Indian national team coach Stephen Constantine. (Photo courtesy: AIFF Media)

After the clearance from the AIFF Technical Committee, Indian national football team head coach Stephen Constantine has also agreed to extend his contract until the end of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

“After accepting my second contract extension with the All India Football Federation, I will have the longest tenure of any foreign coach in Indian history, with a total of seven years (2002 – 2005; 2015 – 2019),” Constantine told PTI.

But it is not known, if Constantine’s demand for a salary hike was agreed to by the AIFF or not.

“I am of course immensely proud of that, and of our accomplishments in both stints. This time round, qualifying for the Asian Cup in 2019, winning the SAFF, and taking India to its highest ranking in modern history, 96 are all great achievements.”

“I really could not have done this without the support of the AIFF, my staff and, of course, the players.”

“We have – as usual – a very hectic and busy schedule, starting with our last qualifier of the Asian Cup, away to Kyrgyzstan on March 27th.”

“We have the Asian Cup Finals from January 5th to February 1st 2019. National team camps will be as per the FIFA guidelines where applicable. There will then be a break in the ISL season so we can have a few more weeks to prepare for the Asian Cup in January.”