I-League champions Aizawl FC sign Portugal's Paulo Menezes as new head coach

I-League champions Aizawl FC have appointed Portugal’s Paulo Menezes as the club’s new head coach for the 2017-18 season. [caption id=“attachment_3874141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Paulo Menezes. Image Courtesy: Aizawl FC/Facebook[/caption] The club confirmed the signing of the 39-year-old coach on their official Facebook account. Menezes started out his footballing career as a player in 1996, and played for various clubs in the Portuguese second and third division. He also got coaching experiences in places like Panama, Laos, Spain and as well as at his home country. He was  part of the coaching staff of Spain’s national football team under former manager Vicente del Bosque. “Aizawl FC is delighted to sign a smart and highly-profiled coach with a great tactical skills. We wish his knowledge and experiences will lead us high in the upcoming season,” the club said in a statement. Last season, under manager Khalid Jamil, Aizawl had a fairy-tale run in the league that saw them lifting the I-League trophy on the final day. Later, Jamil parted ways with the club and became the head coach of East Bengal for the upcoming season. Not just the gaffer, but Aizawl will also miss some of their key players who played vital role in the title-winning season as they got drafted into various Indian Super League (ISL) teams. The club will miss the services of goalkeeper Albino Gomes, defender Ashutosh Mehta and midfielder Jayash Rane while foreign recruit Mahmoud Al Amna will join former manager Jamil at East Bengal.