On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced their decision to decline the contract extension of Costa Rican Amelia Valverde as the women’s senior national team head coach. Valverde was given the charge of the Blue Tigresses for a month in January.
Valverde’s first assignment with the team was the AFC Women’s Asian Cup held in Australia. The Blue Tigresses had lost all three games while scoring two goals in total and conceded 16. The team finished their campaign after resulting in the group stage without a single win.
The Blue Tigresses faced a 1-2 loss to Vietnam in their group opener. Their disappointing run continued with a 0-11 loss to Japan. They closed their campaign with a 1-3 defeat to Chinese Taipei. The under-par results under Valverde had forced the AIFF to take the decision.
AIFF decision also comes into effect from the recommendation by the technical committee who demands the appointment of an Indian coach. The AIFF’s Technical Committee is chaired by Indian football legend IM Vijayan, who brought out the need to bring in Indian coaches for the senior women’s national team.
On Tuesday morning, the AIFF technical committee had conducted a meeting chaired by IM Vijayan, along with the presence of members Harjinder Singh, Shabbir Ali, Victor Amalraj, Climax Lawrence, and Santosh Singh. The meeting lasted for an hour following arguments on Valverde’s case, while the mention of Anthony Andrews was also made.
Andrews has been a successful coach in the Indian Women’s League (IWL). He is an AFC ‘A’ License holder who led Gokulam Kerala to consecutive IWL titles, and under him, East Bengal won their maiden title last season. He has come under the recommendation to take over as India women’s coach following the departure of Thomas Dennerby in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Blue Tigresses have the upcoming FIFA Series 2026 in Kenya during April. The team will be heading against the hosts on April 11 in the first semi-final match. They will then play either Australia or Malawi in the finals or for the third-place playoff scheduled on April 15.
After that, the Blue Tigresses will have the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship in June. The Championship will be held in Goa from May 25 to June 7. Also, by next week, the AIFF Technical Committee is expected to shortlist the names that are eligible to take the role of India’s senior women’s team’s head coach.
