From Mumbai suburbs to Indian football's highest seat: Story of Khalid Jamil

Time of India

a day ago

Khalid Jamil
Long before Khalid Jamil became Indian football's headline appointment—long before his name was etched in I-League history as the architect of Aizawl FC's fairytale title run, and long before he coached in the ISL— he was just a young midfielder at
Air India
, lingering behind after training.
He'd buy tea and samosas for his coach, Bimal Ghosh, pull out a chair, and request that he stay back a little longer. Just one more hour, he'd ask. Just one more drill. And then he'd train like a madman. 'He used to come early and would be the last to leave,' Ghosh recalls. 'I'd be sipping chai and watching him run, trying shooting drills. I've never seen anyone train like that.' That madness—disciplined, unrelenting, and almost monk-like in its obsession— has now taken Khalid Jamil to Indian football's highest seat: Head coach of the national team.
And few appointments have felt as honest, and as earned, as this one.
No cutting corners
A commanding central midfielder, he plied his trade with Air India and Mahindra United, known for his nononsense style, leadership, and consistency. Former teammate Godfrey Pereira, who shared the Air India dressing room with him and later did AFC ALicense coaching alongside him, remembers him as the most disciplined man on the field.
'He used to travel all the way from Mira Road to Kalina— never late, never missing training,' Godfrey says.
'And as a coach, he's carried that same spirit. ' What sets Khalid apart is that he never took shortcuts. He built Mumbai FC from the ground up, and shocked the country in 2017 by leading Aizawl FC—a club with one of the league'ssmallest budgets—to an ILeague title.
Understanding the player
Perhaps Jamil's biggest strength is his ability to understand players—not just their strengths and weaknesses, but their psychology.
Steven Dias, who played with him at Air India and Mahindra and now serves as his assistant coach at Jamshedpur FC, describes him as a coach who never overburdens players. 'He understands every player's capacity,' Dias says. 'For instance, when I played under him at Mumbai FC, he gave me complete freedom in attack. He didn't ask me to defend. That's his genius.'
The quiet coach
Jamil doesn't come from a PR-polished world. He isn't active on social media. He speaks little—and when he does, it's straight to the point.
'He doesn't say thank you or sorry,' Godfrey chuckles. 'He expects results.' And perhaps that's why he stands out. His appointment to the top post is also a huge boost for homegrown coaches.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!