India hires Khalid Jamil as new head coach after Xavi and Pep Guardiola hoax applications
NEW DELHI (AP) — After discarding hoax applications from Xavi and Pep Guardiola, the All India Football Federation hired Khalid Jamil as the new head coach of the national team on Friday.
The AIFF admitted last week that proposed candidacies received from former Barcelona coach Xavi and Manchester City manager Guardiola, which had been disclosed to domestic media two days earlier, were not genuine.
Instead, Jamil, one of more than 170 real applicants to coach India, is the first domestic coach to take the position for 13 years and succeeds Manolo Marquez after the Spaniard departed in July after 11 months and just one win.
Jamil has won India's top league prize as a player, in 2005, and also as head coach of Aizawl FC in 2017. The 49-year-old took over Indian Super League club Jamshedpur in 2023, taking it to the final of the 2025 Super Cup.
The AIFF said in a statement that committee members Shabbir Ali and Armando Colaco had pushed for a local candidate from a three-man shortlist -- that also contained Stephen Constantine, the British coach with two previous spells in charge of India, as well as Slovenia's Stefan Tarkovic -- in a bid to give Indian coaching a boost.
Jamil's major task is to recover from a poor start in qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup, which saw India, ranked No. 133 in the world, collect just one point from the opening two games in its quest to make a third successive appearance at the quadrennial tournament. Only the winner of the four-team group will advance to Saudi Arabia. Qualification resumes in October.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
25 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives key to hometown of Hamilton, Ontario
Dr. Mark Adickes joins Dan Patrick to examine the NBA's uptick in Achilles injuries, what possible role the stepback jumper plays in these situations, and why sedentary lifestyles may contribute to on-court injuries. HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the key to the city of Hamilton from Mayor Andrea Horwath at a public rally Thursday at Hamilton Stadium. Horwath also announced the Oklahoma City star will have a street named after him after capping an epic season by leading Thunder to the NBA title. ❝This city's engraved in me, and I'm glad they get to enjoy it with me.❞ SGA celebrates with his hometown of Hamilton 💙 'Growing up as I traveled across the world, to countless states, cities and countries people always asked where I was from,' Gilgeous-Alexander told a raucous gathering in the north end zone after hoisting the NBA championship trophy over his head. 'I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton. 'Hamilton is different from every other city in Ontario, Hamiltonians carry a different sense of grit, determination, pride and energy than the rest of the province and honestly, I couldn't shy away from that. I carry that with me every day and everywhere I go so you guys can only imagine how (much) overwhelming joy there was when I found out I was getting a key to the city I love and a street named after me.' Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the Stadium on Thursday night. He was honored to start the second quarter of the CFL game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the B.C. Lions.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Boston Celtics sign coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens has said throughout the offseason that that team wanted Joe Mazzulla to be its coach for a long time. It made that more than a proclamation Friday, announcing it has signed Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension. Length and details of the new deal were not released. In a statement, Mazzulla called his new pact with the team 'a blessing.' 'I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children,' Mazzulla said. 'We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad's mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.' Mazzulla, 37, is coming off his third season as Boston's coach and has guided the team to the playoffs each season, including the franchise's 18th NBA title to cap the 2023-24 season. He was the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the 1968-69 season, when 35-year-old Bill Russell led the Celtics to the championship as a player-coach. Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won at least 57 games each of those seasons and topped 60 victories in each of the last two. Though Stevens has never publicly discussed the details of Mazzulla's contract, the coach was initially given an extension shortly after having the interim tag lifted in February 2023. Stevens confirmed in June that Mazzulla had received at least one additional extension prior to his latest one. 'He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,' Stevens said in a statement. 'He's worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach — including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.' Mazzulla originally joined the Celtics in 2019 and spent the next three seasons as an assistant before being interim head coach after former boss Ime Udoka was suspended by the team prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Boston Celtics sign coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens has said throughout the offseason that that team wanted Joe Mazzulla to be its coach for a long time. It made that more than a proclamation Friday, announcing it has signed Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension. Length and details of the new deal were not released. In a statement, Mazzulla called his new pact with the team 'a blessing.' 'I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children,' Mazzulla said. 'We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad's mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.' Mazzulla, 37, is coming off his third season as Boston's coach and has guided the team to the playoffs each season, including the franchise's 18th NBA title to cap the 2023-24 season. He was the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the 1968-69 season, when 35-year-old Bill Russell led the Celtics to the championship as a player-coach. Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won at least 57 games each of those seasons and topped 60 victories in each of the last two. Though Stevens has never publicly discussed the details of Mazzulla's contract, the coach was initially given an extension shortly after having the interim tag lifted in February 2023. Stevens confirmed in June that Mazzulla had received at least one additional extension prior to his latest one. 'He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,' Stevens said in a statement. 'He's worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach — including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.' Mazzulla originally joined the Celtics in 2019 and spent the next three seasons as an assistant before being interim head coach after former boss Ime Udoka was suspended by the team prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. ___ AP NBA: Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press
