Jo Paul Ancheri

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Template:Infobox football biography

Jo Paul Ancheri (born 2 August 1975) is an Indian football coach and former player, currently working with Super League Kerala club Forca Kochi FC. He also had captained the India national football team.[1] He was named the AIFF Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation in 1994 and 2001.[2] He recently worked as a Malayalam commentator and pundit on Star Sports Malayalam with the leading commentator Shaiju Damodaran.[3] He is currently assistant coach of Indian Super League club Odisha.

Club career

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Ancheri began his professional career in 1992 playing for State Bank of Travancore.[4] He went on to play for many leading football clubs including Mohun Bagan, JCT Mills,[5][6] FC Kochin,[7] and East Bengal. He was a versatile player who could play in any position including defender, defensive midfielder, midfielder, and striker.[8] With JCT Mills Phagwara, he won the 1996–97 National Football League.[9]

International career

Ancheri made his senior international debut for India against Bangladesh on 14 September 1994 in a 4–2 win, when he scored a goal.[10] Ancheri was also a member of the Indian team for the Nehru Gold Cup in Calcutta, and of the under-23 side, which took part in the pre-Olympic tournament. He later suffered a knee injury for the rest of the season and came back with the colours of FC Kochin in 1997.[11]

Ancheri played in a number of tournaments such as FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the SAFF Championship, and the South Asian Games, and helped the team win the South Asian Football Federation Cup in 1999.[12][13] He was part of the Syed Naeemuddin-managed Indian team that participated in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and reached the second round.[14][15]

With India, he appeared in the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers, when India defeated teams like United Arab Emirates, Brunei and Yemen. India secured 11 points from 6 matches, the same as Yemen, but finished behind them due to an inferior goal difference.[16] In that year, Ancheri was part of the Bhaichung Bhutia-led Indian team that won the LG Cup, defeating the host nation Vietnam 3–2.[17] He later appeared in the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, when India finished as runners-up behind Uzbekistan.[18]

Coaching career

In August 2025, he was appointed assistant coach of Super League Kerala club Thrissur Magic.[19]

International goals

Source : [20]

List of international goals scored by Jo Paul Ancheri
Scores and results list India's goal tally first
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 14 September 1994 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar Template:Fb 2–0 4–2 1994 Qatar Independence Cup
2. 21 September 1994 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar Template:Fb n/a 1–4
3. 7 September 1997 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal Template:Fb 2–0 2–2 1997 SAFF Gold Cup
4. 13 September 1997 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal Template:Fb 1–0 5–1
5. 24 November 1999 Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE Template:Fb 2–1 2–3 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
6. 29 July 2000 Filbert Street, Leicester, England Template:Fb 1–0 1–0 Friendly
7. 4 May 2001 Althawra Sports City Stadium, Sanaa, Yemen Template:Fb 1–1 3–3 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
8. 2–2
9. 11 May 2001 Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Template:Fb 1–0 1–0
10. 20 May 2001 Bangalore Football Stadium, Bangalore, India Template:Fb 4–0 5–0
11. 3 June 2004 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia Template:Fb 1–1 1–1 Friendly

Honours

JCT Mills

FC Kochin

Mohun Bagan

East Bengal

  • IFA Shield: 2001
  • Durand Cup: 2001, 2002

India

India U-23

Maharashtra

Individual

See also

References

  1. ↑ He's unstoppable. The Hindu(25 August 2010).
  2. ↑ Jo Paul Ancheri named Player of the Year. The Hindu(31 December 2001).
    - AIFF award.
  3. ↑ Star Sports to air AFC Asian Cup in six languages. Rapid TV News. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Jo Paul Ancheri.
  5. ↑ Legendary Football Coach Sukhwinder Singh Shifts to Canada for Good, Basu, Jaydeep. newsclick.in. News Click India(21 May 2021). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Minerva Punjab FC rope in Sukhwinder as technical director, Raj, Pratyush. The Times of India(17 July 2018). Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Indian Bank Chennai FC players. Indian Football.de. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. ↑ HALL OF FAME. Indian Football.
  9. ↑ Indian Club Football: How Financially Sustainable Is Football In India?, Sengupta, Somnath. The Hard Tackle(8 July 2011). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
    - AIFF disbands Pailan Arrows outfit, Ganguly, Abhishek. The Times of India(30 August 2013). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
    - Indian Football: Can Kerala Produce Next I.M. Vijayan?, Ajgoankar, Ashlesh. The Hard Tackle(18 January 2013). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Jo Paul Ancheri. National Football Teams.
  11. ↑ Jo Paul Ancheri — A tough ride to the top. Indian Football.
  12. ↑ South Asian Gold Cup 1999 (Margoa, Goa). RSSSF. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  13. ↑ SAFF Gold Cup 1999. SAFF. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Indian football team at the Asian Games: 1998 Bangkok. Sportskeeda(25 August 2014). Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  15. ↑ The Indian Senior Team at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. Indian Football. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  16. ↑ The Indian Senior Team at the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers, Chaudhuri, Arunava. Indian Football. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  17. ↑ India win LG Cup football. Rediff(10 August 2002). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  18. ↑ Afro-Asian Games 2003. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  19. ↑ Template:Cite instagram
  20. ↑ Jo Paul Ancheri - International Appearances.
  21. ↑ JCT wins inaugural Philips NFL title. The Indian Express(17 March 1997). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
    - Fairplay bonus for JCT. The Indian Express(20 March 1997). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  22. ↑ List of Winners/Runners-Up of the Durand Cup. Indian Football. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
    - When two Durand champions got together. The Hindu(31 August 2019). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
    - Durand Cup: Gokulam Kerala FC's win reinvigorates Kerala football. The Hindu(24 August 2019). Retrieved 30 July 2021.
    - Durand Cup win by FC Kochin signals football's shift from amateur to professional status. India Today(27 October 1997). Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  23. ↑ List of Winners/Runners-Up of the IFA-Shield. Indian Football. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
    - India — List of IFA Shield Finals. RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  24. ↑ South Asian Gold Cup 2005 (Karachi, Pakistan), Zlotkowski, Andre. RSSSF(6 March 2008). Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  25. ↑ Afro-Asian Games 2003. RSSSF(2001). Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  26. ↑ India beat Vietnam to win LG Cup football. The Times of India(10 August 2002). Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  27. ↑ Ho Chi Minh City Cups. RSSSF.
  28. ↑ Maharashtra snares Kerala in its den. thehindu.com(24 April 2000). Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  29. ↑ AIFF PLAYER OF THE YEAR — FROM STARTING. Kolkata Football. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  30. ↑ Jeje Lalpekhlua is 2016 AIFF Player of the Year. AIFF. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  31. ↑ All India Football Federation Awards: Sunil Chhetri and Bala Devi win Player of the Year Trophy. India Today(14 February 2015). Retrieved 26 September 2020.

Bibliography

  • A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(2006). ISBN 9780415348355
  • Stories from Indian Football{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. UBS Publishers' Distributors(2003). ISBN 9788174764546
  • India's football past gasping for survival, Sarkar, Dhiman. hindustantimes.com. Hindustan Times(25 March 2018). Retrieved 16 April 2023.

Further reading

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