Jo Paul Ancheri

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. He was named the AIFF Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation in 1994 and 2001. He recently worked as a Malayalam commentator and pundit on Star Sports Malayalam with the leading commentator Shaiju Damodaran. 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. He went on to play for many leading football clubs including Mohun Bagan, JCT Mills, FC Kochin, and East Bengal. He was a versatile player who could play in any position including defender, defensive midfielder, midfielder, and striker. With JCT Mills Phagwara, he won the 1996–97 National Football League.

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. 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.

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. He was part of the Syed Naeemuddin-managed Indian team that participated in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and reached the second round.

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. 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. He later appeared in the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, when India finished as runners-up behind Uzbekistan.

Coaching career In August 2025, he was appointed assistant coach of Super League Kerala club Thrissur Magic.

International goals + 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 2–0 4–2 1994 Qatar Independence Cup 2. 21 September 1994 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar 1–4 3. 7 September 1997 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal 2–0 2–2 1997 SAFF Gold Cup 4. 13 September 1997 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal 1–0 5–1 5. 24 November 1999 Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2–1 2–3 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification 6. 29 July 2000 Filbert Street, Leicester, England 1–0 1–0Friendly 7. 4 May 2001 Althawra Sports City Stadium, Sanaa, Yemen 1–1 3–3 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 8. 2–2 9. 11 May 2001 Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei 1–0 1–0 10. 20 May 2001 Bangalore Football Stadium, Bangalore, India 4–0 5–0 11. 3 June 2004 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia 1–1 1–1Friendly

Honours JCT Mills National Football League: 1996–97 Indian Federation Cup: 1996 Durand Cup: 1996

FC Kochin Durand Cup: 1997 IFA Shield: runner-up 1997 Kerala State Championship: 1997

Mohun Bagan Indian Federation Cup: 1998 IFA Shield: 1998, 1999

East Bengal IFA Shield: 2001 Durand Cup: 2001, 2002

India SAFF Championship: 1997, 1999, 2005; runner-up: 1995; third place: 2003 South Asian Games Gold medal: 1995; Bronze medal: 1999 Afro-Asian Games silver medal: 2003

India U-23 LG Cup: 2002

Maharashtra Santosh Trophy runner-up: 1999–2000

Individual AIFF Player of the Year: 1994, 2001