Khalid Jamil becomes first Indian to coach national football team

KHALID JAMIL made history on Friday (1) by becoming the first Indian to lead the national football team as head coach in 13 years, beating Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic to secure the position.

The last Indian to serve as head coach of the men's national team was Savio Medeira, who held the role from 2011 to 2012.

The 48-year-old Jamil, who famously guided unfancied Aizawl Football Club to the I-League title in 2017, faces the challenging task of reversing the struggling Indian team's declining fortunes.

A former India international currently managing Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, Jamil was selected by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) executive committee after being shortlisted by the technical committee led by legendary striker IM Vijayan.

An AFC Pro Licence Diploma holder, Jamil will succeed Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who parted company with the AIFF last month following India's recent struggles.

"The AIFF ExCo has picked Khalid Jamil as the new head coach, but his tenure has not yet been decided. We will do that after discussions with him and amongst ourselves," AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said after the meeting.

"Jamil wanted a three-year tenure. Some ExCo members said it could be one year or two years. But it will be a long-term tenure, maybe two or three years, and performance-based."

The AIFF president made it clear that Jamil will be a full-time national team head coach and will not be associated with any other club, unlike his predecessor Manolo who had played a dual role with ISL side FC Goa. "Jamil will only be head coach of the national team," Chaubey confirmed.

Jamil's first assignment will be the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan starting August 29. He faces the tough task of reversing India's poor recent performances after losing 1-0 to lower-ranked Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, leaving the country in danger of missing out on qualifying for the continental showpiece in 2027.

Following the CAFA Nations Cup, India will play AFC Asian Cup qualifying matches against Singapore on 9 and 14 October.

The biggest achievement of Jamil's decade-long managerial career was leading Aizawl FC to the 2016-17 I-League title, upstaging big-spending giants like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC with a minimal budget. The unassuming Mumbaikar also guided NorthEast United (2020-21) and Jamshedpur FC (2024-25) to the ISL play-offs.

Jamil received strong support from football legends. Vijayan favoured an Indian coach, noting that the country had a much higher FIFA ranking with Indian coaches like Sukhwinder Singh and Syed Nayeemuddin.

"He (Vijayan) strongly recommended Khalid Jamil, as he has already been conferred with the AIFF's Men's Coach of the Year Award on two occasions (2023-24 and 2024-25)," the AIFF said in a release.

Former India coach Amrando Colaco, currently adviser to Chaubey, and technical committee vice-chairperson Shabir Ali also advocated for an Indian head coach.

"Colaco and Mr Ali expressed their views that the AIFF should prioritise selecting an Indian coach for the senior men's national team... they believe that Indian coaches need to be given a fair chance to prove themselves," the AIFF said.

Former India players and current executive committee members Pinky Bompal Magar, Thongam Tababi Devi and Climax Lawrence also supported the decision.

"The house felt that since India are set to participate in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 later this month, followed by back-to-back AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore in October, Jamil would be a better option, since he has been working with Indian players on a regular basis," the AIFF explained.

The federation had received 170 applications, including from former Liverpool stars Robbie Fowler and Harry Kewell.

(PTI)