National football team gets first Indian coach in 13 years as Khalid Jamil gets top job
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Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
AIFF names Jamil men's football team coach, tenure likely to be 'two or three' years
Khalid Jamil on Friday became the first Indian to become the head coach of the national football team in 13 years as he pipped Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic to grab the coveted post. The last Indian to serve as the head coach of the national men's team was Savio Medeira, who held the position from 2011 to 2012. A former India international and currently in charge of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, Jamil, 48, was selected by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) executive committee. '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 among ourselves. We also have to discuss with him his salary,' AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey told PTI 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, may be two or three years, and performance-based,' Chaubey said. The Executive Committee approved the appointment from a three-member shortlist submitted by the AIFF Technical Committee. The other two contenders were former India head coach Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic, who previously managed the Slovakia national team. In a statement issued by the AIFF, the governing body confirmed that Dronacharya Awardee coaches Bimal Ghosh and Armando Colaco, and Dhyan Chand Awardee Shabbir Ali, alongside Technical Committee chairperson IM Vijayan were heavily in favour of appointing an Indian coach at the helm for the first time in 13 years. 'In the presence of AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, Vice President NA Haris, Treasurer Shri Kipa Ajay, the members of the Executive and Technical committees, along with both Dronacharya Awardee coaches Bimal Ghosh and Armando Colaco, and Dhyan Chand Awardee Shabbir Ali, the AIFF's Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha and National Teams Director Subrata Paul presented a SWOT analysis of all the three shortlisted coaches – Khalid Jamil, Stephen Constantine, and Stefan Tarkovic,' read the statement by the AIFF.
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First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
Khalid Jamil's appointment by AIFF reeks of helplessness, but history-making coach has proven to be anomaly
Khalid Jamil's appointment as head coach of the Indian football team by the AIFF reeks of desperation from a cash-strapped organisation that has previously failed with similar experiments. But Jamil's extraordinary capabilities could yet prove the AIFF right. read more Khalid Jamil becomes the first Indian head coach of the men's football team since 2012. Image: ISL The All India Football Federation (AIFF) news story announcing the return of an Indian as the runs six paragraphs, including the names of the president, vice-president, Executive Committee (EC) and Technical Committee (TC) members, but there's no information of the contract tenure offered to Khalid Jamil. Possibly, the terms are yet to be agreed upon. However, the AIFF clearly mentions that Jamil has been appointed by the TC, not just picked, which suggests that a basic agreement is already in place, and the Jamshedpur FC coach has given the green light to take up the challenging job. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, either the contract length has not been decided, or AIFF is probably looking to play a short-term game before offering a new deal to Jamil next year. How can we say that? More from Football The budget for the 2025-26 season was passed by the AIFF Executive Committee only until December 2025 on 2 July. There are limitations, and a long-term contract most likely cannot be offered right now. It makes sense now, right? Why was Khalid picked over Constantine? But what about his appointment in the first place? How did the 48-year-old AFC Pro Licensee beat former India coach , the Anglo-Cypriot, who took India to the 2019 Asian Cup and helped them beat Thailand in a group stage match – the Blue Tigers' first win at the continental tournament since 1964. Or, what about Stefan Tarkovic, the former Slovakian and Kyrgyzstan coach? Khalid, in comparison, is a pale shadow of the competitors he had. But here's where the story gets more interesting. The AIFF is not only struggling with the budget for the ongoing season but also has no agreement in place for Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) to run the Indian Super League (ISL); its annual revenue is on a rapid decline. It generated Rs 137 crore in income in 2022-23, followed by just Rs 110 crore in 2023-24, and was also required to pay approximately Rs 3.36 crore (around $400,000) to former India head coach Igor Stimac after terminating his contract two years before its scheduled end date. The AIFF Executive Committee, in the presence of the Technical Committee, has approved the appointment of Khalid Jamil as the new head coach of the Senior India Men's National Team.#IndianFootball ⚽️ — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 1, 2025 The financial crisis forced AIFF to make a compromise with Manolo as he came on a deal where he continued his job at FC Goa in ISL. And we know how his tenure ended. . Manolo, the manager who was said to know everything about Indian football, a fan favourite, arguably popular among players, and a tactician believed to have the ability to get the best out of Indian players, won just one friendly out of eight games in charge of the Indian football team. His only win came against a semi-professional-looking Maldivian side. Also Read | The football India played under him was abysmal – the players looked shaky, the squad selection was questionable, the team environment was unruly, and the atmosphere during India's matches was unprofessional. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yet, the AIFF has once again opted for a manager who has no international experience, but one who comes with a lot of guts and gumption. Khalid, as a coach, has always been a fighter, punching above his weight . But didn't India need a proven face when they were on the brink of elimination from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers? Wasn't Constantine, who already had two terms with India, a better option? Congratulations #KhalidJamil As expected Khalid Jamil is the new Head Coach Indian National Men's Team #BlueTigers A bold decision by AIFF and Khalid himself to join hands at a time when the challenge is of highest level. Khalid becomes the first Indian coach after Savio… — Shaji Prabhakaran (@Shaji4Football) August 1, 2025 After all, Jamil has zero international experience. But that's not the case with Constantine. And then there was Tarkovic, who also had extensive international experience. Don't forget, managing the dressing room is probably the biggest challenge in the Indian team. Players come into the Indian locker room with their bags full of financial security – there's no greed for money. The only thing you need to kindle in them is the passion to play for the blue jersey, but coaches have often found that tough. Stimac was undone by the same issue at the end of his tenure. Marquez never got hold of anything before he desperately sought a way out. Jamil is an anomaly and maybe that worked for him It's important to point out that the language used by the AIFF announcing Jamil's appointment tells a story in itself. 'Mr. Colaco and Mr. Ali expressed their views that the AIFF should prioritise selecting an Indian coach for the senior men's national team,' the AIFF said. 'The AIFF Vice President Shri Haris, along with members such…opined that for the betterment of Indian football, the federation must give an opportunity to an Indian coach.' So, Jamil wasn't picked just because he was the most capable, but also because he is an Indian coach. Interesting! STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Just for your information, India's last three Asian Cup qualifications, dating to 2011, have come under foreign coaches. No Indian has coached India since 2012. Only four Indians have coached the Blue Tigers since the turn of the 21st century, and none of them have lasted for more than a year. So, why this lust for an Indian coach? Possibly because we are tired of all that has happened. Even though Marquez proved beyond doubt that just some good knowledge of the ISL or Indian players is not enough to match the standards of international football, the AIFF has once again taken a punt with a similar coach. 1 - Khalid Jamil is the only Indian manager to have managed 50+ games in the #ISL (72); he is also the only Indian manager to have registered multiple playoff wins in the competition (2). Choice. 📸: @IndSuperLeague#IndianFootball — OptaJeev (@OptaJeev) August 1, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The only difference is that Jamil is not Marquez. He is no washed-up Spaniard coach; Jamil is a trailblazer in his own right. The messiah of Mumbai FC, the history-maker at Aizawl FC, and the trend-setter in the ISL with NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur. From being the first Indian coach to take an ISL side to the playoffs to being the first home manager to acquire a full-time job in the top division, Jamil has always been an anomaly. Disciplined team, non-nonsense defending, and well-drilled tactics have been Jamil's strengths across all teams, allowing him to extract the best from limited resources everywhere he has been. Possibly, that's why AIFF picked him, but that is not clear from their news story, nor has that ever been enough to coach India. But as I said, Jamil is an anomaly. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
From Reluctance to Passion: "Accidental coach" Khalid Jamil's journey to top of Indian football
Khalid Jamil's rise can't exactly be termed as meteoric but the last eight years has been nothing less than extraordinary for the 48-year-old, who on Friday (August 1, 2025) took over reins of the national men's football team. If he decides to take a pause and look back to that summer of 2008, he might have a chuckle about his reluctance and anger after Mumbai FC management wanted him to coach the U-19s despite him being an active senior team player. What if he would have rejected club's request outright? He didn't and thankfully on August 1, once an accidental coach is now at helm of country's national team. From carrying Aizawl FC to an emotional I-League triumph which many felt was a shot in the arm for football in the north east to facing immense pressure of expectations while coaching Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan with humongous fan base, Jamil has earned his stripes through the bump and grind of Indian football. He is very much a product of the Indian football system having done his yards. This is a system he can play around and vice-versa. No wonder he is one of rare Indian head coach of an ISL side -- Jamshedpur FC and AIFF's choice to go for a 'Made In India' gaffer certainly won't raise eyeballs. Jamil, the youngest of the three contenders and without national team coaching experience at any level, became the first Indian in 13 years to occupy the coveted post. The last Indian who was the national men's team head coach was Savio Medeira from 2011 to 2012. Best Indian coach at the moment Jamil is, without question, the best Indian coach at the moment. He is the AIFF 'Coach of the Year' in the last two seasons, having made a name for himself for helping teams punch above their weight both in the I-League and the Indian Super League. The unassuming Mumbaikar is a quintessential hard-worker known for meticulous planning before matches. His philosophy has been 'train hard and play harder'. If one compares Jamil with coaches of yesteryears, closest comparison would be Syed Nayeemuddin, another firm believer in slogging hard at training and enjoying the fruits of labour during matches. An AFC Pro License Diploma holder, Jamil has long been a trailblazer in Indian football. Football was not a career option for Jamil initially Jamil was born in Kuwait but his family shifted to Mumbai after the Gulf War (1990-91). While studying at the famous Rizvi College in Mumbai, he made it to the university team. He later played for Mahindra United, Air India and Mumbai FC for major part of his club career. "I always liked football from childhood, but when I started I didn't play the sport thinking of it as a profession. I kept on playing and it went like that," he had said. He is a deeply religious man, who offers namaaz five times a day. Jamil made his national team debut in 1997 in a SAFF Cup match against Bangladesh in Kathmandu. A contemporary of the legendary Bhaichung Bhutia, Jamil played 15 matches for India till his retirement in 2006 due to injuries. Accidental coach While playing for the Mumbai FC senior team, he was asked to coach the junior side in 2008 and he reluctantly did that, and that changed his life. "I was in the Mumbai FC senior team but one day I was asked to coach the U19 team. I had the hunger to play in senior team and did not want to coach. I was angry but agreed to coach the junior team," he had said. "The U19 team did very well, won the league. Since David Booth has left the senior team, I was asked to take charge of the senior team (in 2009)." At just 33, he became the youngest coach in the I-League. He spent six seasons at Mumbai FC as head coach. Playing style The national team under Jamil may not be pleasing to watch, with less of 'tiki-taka' style short passing system. It will be a hard-working, well-organised, defensively solid unit. His style is expected to be pragmatic football, according to match situation. Jamil has spoken about keeping things simple, allowing his players the freedom to express themselves while maintaining defensive discipline. "My instructions (to players) are play defensively, man to man, be in shape, otherwise I give them a lot of freedom, to play their natural game depending on match situations," he had said. "I don't give too many instructions especially to inexperienced Indian players. It should shouldn't be like my players are like robots and do exactly as I say. It's not very rigid. Task ahead Jamil will have the tough task of reversing India's poor performances in recent past. After losing 0-1 to lower-ranked Hong Kong in an away match of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, the country has been left in danger of missing out on qualifying for the continental showpiece in 2027. After the CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan beginning August 29, India play their AFC Asian Cup qualifying round games on October 9 and 14 -- against Singapore home and away. After that, India face Bangladesh on November 18 — away match — and Hong Kong on March 31, 2026 at home. India are currently at the bottom of the group table. Only the group winners will qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Only time will tell whether Jamil can pull the national team out of the downward spiral. That will be a fairytale and he would want to tell that tale.
