New Delhi: Indian soccer authorities confirmed the appointment of England's Bob Houghton as national coach on Monday.
The 58-year-old former coach of China and Uzbekistan will take over on June 20, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said in a release.
Houghton, who is the manager of Chinese side Shenyang Ginda, was chosen ahead of former Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr after they were interviewed by Indian soccer officials last week.
He becomes India's third coach in under a year after the federation chose to appoint a foreigner following poor results under former India players Sukhwinder Singh and Syed Nayeemuddin.
Nayeemuddin, who captained India to the 1970 Asian Games bronze, was abruptly sacked after a poor display in the two Asian Cup qualifiers against Japan and Yemen.
The decision to fall back on a foreign coach comes amidst India's efforts to tone up the administration and the national team, which is ranked 117 in the world and 22nd in Asia.
Houghton played for English clubs Fulham and Brighton before turning to coaching and has also coached in Saudi Arabia and in the US.
His support staff will be announced shortly, the AIFF release added.
He was tipped to get the job after the federation's technical committee recommended his name, both for his past experience with Asian teams and due to his favourable financial terms.
Houghton is expected to cost the federation around Rs 90 lakh ($195,822) a year, a soccer official said at the weekend.
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