New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Thursday, decided to appoint Savio Medeira as the national coach till the AFC Challenge Cup in March next year.

According to AIFF sources, Medeira, who was conveyed the decision, has refused services of an assistant coach. He, however, has asked the federation to continue with Goa’s Marcus Pacheco as the goalkeeping coach.

“Strangely enough, Medeira does not want any assistant coach, something that rarely happens in modern football these days,” said the source. “When Bob Houghton was the coach, he always demanded to have for more than one assistant. Medeira himself remained the assistant coach for four years.”

Medeira will also be in charge of the team for the friendly matches against Malaysia, Zambia and South Africa and the SAFF Cup in Delhi in December.

The former Salgaocar footballer became the third coach to be given the charge of the national team in a span of seven months. While Bob Houghton was shown the door in April, Armando Colaco remained at the helm for three months.

After Colaco’s departure, the AIFF called for an emergency committee meeting and decided to name Karim Bencherifa as the national coach. The plan had to be dropped next day after Bencheria’s current employers, Salgaocar Club, refused to release him for national duty.