Khalid Jamil becomes first ‘Indian’ coach of national football team in 13 years

Placing their trust on home-grown coaches for the first time in over a decade, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday finally selected former India mid-fielder Khalid Jamil as the new head coach of the national team.

Jamil will take over a side that had recently plummeted to 133rd — the lowest FIFA ranking in nine years, and succeed Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who parted ways with the AIFF just a year before his predecessor Igor Stimac quit the post.

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The AIFF Executive Committee approved Jamil’s appointment from a three-member shortlist submitted by the 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 at the helm for the first time in 13 years.

“In the presence of AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, Vice President NA Haris, Treasurer 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.

“Colaco, Ghosh, and Ali expressed their views that the AIFF should prioritise selecting an Indian coach for the senior men’s national team. All three opined that during their respective coaching careers, they too were once Indian coaches with no national team experience. However, they believe that Indian coaches need to be given a fair chance to prove themselves.

“Technical Committee chairperson IM Vijayan, a Padma Shri and Arjuna awardee, shared his experiences during his playing days, and said that India had a much higher FIFA ranking with the likes of Sukhwinder Singh and Syed Nayeemuddin as the head coaches. Thus, he 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),” read the statement by the AIFF.

A former midfielder with 40 international caps, Jamil transitioned to coaching in 2009 with a six-year stint with now-defunct Mumbai Football Club before joining Aizawl FC in the I-League. Over the years, he has worked his way through the Indian football ecosystem having made an impact on the I-League, I-League 2 and the Indian Super League. His time with Aizawl FC saw the team win their only top-flight title.

The 48-year-old also undertook the managerial role in both footballing giants of the country, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He later joined Jamshedpur FC midway through the 2023–24 season and led them to the Super Cup semifinals and later to a runner-up finish and an ISL semifinal spot in the next season.

Testing times for Jamil

Jamil’s appointment comes at a challenging juncture for the national team. His first big test would be to revive India’s campaign at the AFC Asian Cup qualification, where the side is yet to win a game in the third round of qualifying.

Tottering at the bottom of Group C with a draw and a loss, India have four matches remaining —two against Singapore, and one each against Bangladesh and Hong Kong. Only the group winners will qualify for the main tournament, which takes place in Saudi Arabia in 2027.