Hyderabad: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has appointed former India captain Shabbir Ali as the Head of Delegation for the AFC U-17 2027 Qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur from November 6 to 20.
Shabbir served as the Technical Director, coach and manager of the Indian national team and the Pre-Olympic U-23 team in 1995 and 1996.
A recipient of the Dhyan Chand Award, Shabbir represented India from 1974 to 1984, playing around 100 matches and scoring 30 goals.
The Hyderabadi was also the captain of the Indian team in three tournaments in 1981: the Merdeka Tournament, where India finished as semi-finalists, the North Korea tour and the King’s Cup in Bangkok.
Shabbir also led the team at the Great Wall Cup in Beijing, China, in 1984. At the club level, he coached Mohammedan SC, Salgaocar SC, Fransa FC, Mahindra, Peerless SC, Abbas Union FC and Godavari FC. He also coached state teams from Goa, Bengal and Telangana.
