Armando Colaco

Armando Colaço (born 22 June 1953) is an Indian football coach who is currently the head coach of Sporting Goa in the I-League 2. He is the most successful and longest serving coach in the history of the I-League club Dempo.

Heavily influenced by Ukrainian Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Colaco is the first I-League coach to guide an Indian team into the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, which he did in 2008. Colaco is widely regarded as one of India's best managers after the success he has enjoyed at Churchill Brothers and Dempo. He also managed football team of Goa in Santosh Trophy.

Early life Colaco was born on 22 June 1953 in Panjim to parents – Vincent Salvador Colaço and Clarina Dias Colaço. Having lost his father at a very young age, but never gave up on his ambitions of playing football, which he did right from a young age during his schooling at Don Boscos where Fr Joseph Casti and Fr Thomas, in particular, encouraged the footballer in the youthful Armando. According to Armando, it was Sir Edwin, Domnic, Wilson Paes, along with Fr Simon, Fr Edward and Fr Benedict who played an important role in his life as far as his early upbringing was concerned. Later in his life, his wife Juliana and daughter Genevieve have been his motivation and support. Having agreed to accept the challenge, Armando greeted the opportunity to redefine the destiny of a football club, which under his patronage has risen from the dust to virtually touch the skies.

India

On 17 May 2011, Colaço in an interview said that he had accepted the job to coach the Indian football team. The All India Football Federation confirmed the appointment after an Executive Committee meeting on 20 May. On 10 July 2011, Colaço managed his first India match against Maldives, the match ended 1–1. On 17 July 2011, Colaco won his first game as manager of India against Qatar 2–1 in a friendly. On 23 July 2011, Colaço suffered his first defeat, 0–3, at the hands of the UAE during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match at Sheikh Khalifa International stadium, Al Ain City. In the return leg on 28 July 2011 in Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi Colaço managed to get India a 2–2 draw but could not stop India from falling 5–2 on aggregate. He was removed from his post shortly, and replaced by Savio Medeira in October 2011.

East Bengal On 14 November 2013, East Bengal appointed Armando Colaco as their new head coach. On 15 May 2014, it was confirmed that Colaco would continue coaching the club for another year.

Despite being given the chance to coach the team for the entire 2014–15 campaign, it was announced that Colaco had been sacked by East Bengal on 18 February 2015.

Later years Since parting ways with East Bengal in 2015, Colaco had spells at Bardez FC, Sesa FA and more-recently with Churchill Brothers in the Goa Professional League. In August 2022, Colaco was appointed as new head coach of another Goa-based side Sporting Clube de Goa on a three-year deal. At the inaugural edition of I-League 3 in 2023, his club Sporting Goa crowned champions with a superior head-to-head record against fellow Goan side Dempo and Sporting Club Bengaluru in play-offs, secured promotion to the I-League 2.

Tactics Colaco has been widely praised for his tactical prowess and match reading abilities. having Climax Lawrence as a defensive midfield; Clifford Miranda, Joaquim Abranches, Anthony Pereira or Nicolau Borges as wide midfielders with Brazilian Beto as supporting striker behind Ranti Martins, the main striker. Characteristics of that team was that they played with short passes along with sudden burst of wing play. This strategy helped Dempo to reach the semi-finals of the 2008 AFC Cup, although losing to Al-Safa' SC of Lebanon in the semi-finals.

Statistics

Honours Managerial Salcete Stafford Cup: 1987 2006–07; runners-up: 2003–04 I-League: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12; third place: 2010–11 National Football League II: 2001–02 I-League 2nd Division: 2015–16 Goa Professional League: 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011; runners-up: 2006–07 Federation Cup: 2004; runners-up: 2001, 2008, 2012 Indian Super Cup: 2008, 2010; runners-up: 2005, 2007, 2009 Durand Cup: 2006

East Bengal I-League runner-up: 2013–14

Sporting Goa GFA Charity Cup: 2023

Individual Dronacharya Award: 2025 FPAI Syed Abdul Rahim Award: 2009–10