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Savio Medeira is a former player and is the current coach of the
Indian National Football Team.
Playing career
Savio spent his whole career at Salgaocar S.C. in India from 1983-2000. The highlights of his playing career include two Rovers Cup wins in 1990 and 1997. He also lifted the Federation Cup in 1997 and won the National Football League in 1998.
Coaching career
Salgaocar
Savio began his coaching career by acting as assistant coach at his former playing club Salgaocar for the 2000-01 season and they finished that NFL season in sixth place. After acting as assistant coach for one season he was promoted to head manager of the club. In his first season as Head Manager with the club, he managed to get them to fourth place in the 2001-02 NFL season. In the next season, he managed to make Salgaocar runners-up in the league and they finished only five points behind Champions East Bengal. He continued his success with by winning the Durand Cup in 2003 after beating East Bengal 4-3 on penalties. The next season though Salgaocar dropped to seventh in the league and did not win a single trophy.In 2006 Salgaocar were relegated to the NFL 2nd Division but they were only forced to one season in the second division as they were promoted for the2007–08 I-League. However, they were relegated again the next season as they finished dead last with only one win out of eighteen games. After the 2007-08 season Savio was sacked by Salgaocar.
Assisting India
After being sacked by Salgaocar, Savio signed with the All India Football Federation to become the assistant coach to Bob Houghton on the India national football team. His first match as assistant coach was against Chinese Taipei in which India won 3-0. While as assistant coach to Bob Houghton the Indian National Team changed and won two Nehru Cup titles along with winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and booking there place in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. During the Asian Cup however India lost all three matches by heavy margins and so Bob Houghton was officially sacked but Savio stayed and Bob’s successor Armando Colaco also kept Savio on the team. While assisting Colaco, India went on a low run of form as they slipped from 147 in the FIFA rankings to 163. After getting knocked out of the2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Colaco left his post as India coach while again Savio stayed on.
India Coach
On October 29, 2011 it was announced that Savio would be the head coach of the India national football team till his contract ran out with the AIFF in May 2012. In his first game in charge as India Coach, the team drew 1-1 with Malaysia. He got his second victory as India coach when India defeated Malaysia 3-2. He suffered his first defeat as India coach at the hands of Zambia, going down 5-0. His next assignment is to help India defend the SAFF title in the SAFF Cup 2011.
