In a bid to boost the fortunes of the Indian women’s football team, Costa Rican manager Amelia Valverde has been appointed as the new head coach, the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Tuesday.
There is a Hyderabad connection to the appointment on Valverde. Former Indian football team captains Shabbir Ali and Victor Amalraj are part of the 10-member AIFF selection committee for women coaches. “Shabbir Ali and I are part of the Selection Committee, and we had recommended Valverde’s name for the post,” Victor told KhelKhiladis.com on Tuesday night.
Amelia Valverde, 39, comes with an abundance of managerial experience in international football and has already joined the Indian camp in Antalya, Turkiye, as the Blue Tigresses prepare for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, scheduled for March.
A former player who represented Costa Rican outfits Flores de Heredia and Saprissa during her playing days, Amelia Valverde transitioned to coaching in 2011. She began her coaching career as the assistant manager of the Costa Rican senior team as well as their U20 women’s teams and was a part of the 2014 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
Valverde took over the senior team in 2015 and went on to become the longest-serving coach in the history of the Costa Rican women’s football team, helming Las Ticas till 2023. During her stint with the senior team, Amelia Valverde guided Costa Rica to the 2015 and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cups – their only two appearances in the showpiece event.
Amelia Valverde, who was the second-youngest head coach in the 2015 World Cup at 28 years of age, also led the national team to the gold medal at the 2017 Central American Games, a silver medal at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games and a bronze at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Her achievements were recognised in 2016 when she was named the CONCACAF Female Coach of the Year.
After parting ways with the Costa Rica national team, Valverde was appointed head coach of Mexican club CF Monterrey in 2023, where she enjoyed more success. Valverde guided CF Monterrey to a historic Bicampeonato in 2024, winning the Liga MX Femenil Clausura title in July and the Apertura crown in November.
Her achievements were recognised later that year when the Mexican Football Federation named her the Liga MX Femenil’s Best Coach, awarding her the Mexican Balón de Oro.
She will be joined by goalkeeping coach Eli Ávila and strength and conditioning coach José Sánchez, both of whom have previously worked with her, as her support staff for the Indian team.
India will begin their AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign on March 4 against Vietnam. Japan and Chinese Taipei are the other two teams in Group C with India.
