India U-17 women's team assistant coach suspended for alleged misconduct

NEW DELHI: The assistant coach of the India U-17 women's football team, which is gearing up for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, has been suspended for alleged misconduct with a player. The team is currently on a tour in Europe as part of training. The assistant coach allegedly misbehaved with a player during the tour.

The All India Football Federation(AIFF), which officially confirmed the incident, however, has not revealed the identity of the assistant coach. The AIFF announced through a press statement that the assistant coach was called back from Europe.

"An event of misconduct has been reported in the U-17 women's team, currently on an exposure tour to Europe. The AIFF follows a zero-tolerance policy on indiscipline. As an initial action, the Federation has provisionally suspended the individual pending further investigation. The AIFF has asked the individual concerned to stop all contact with the team, return to India immediately, and be physically present for further investigations upon his arrival," the statement read.

Although the AIFF did not name the person involved, sources claimed that it was a Malayali assistant coach of the team, who forced the minor player to indulge in an ''inappropriate'' act.

It is learned that head coach Thomas Dennerby himself was a witness to the ''incident'' and it was he, who immediately informed the AIFF.