New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) 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.
The 48-year-old Jamil had guided the unheralded Aizawl Football Club to a famous I-League title in 2017 and has a tough task at hand to turnaround the struggling Indian team’s declining fortunes.
A former India international and currently in charge of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, Jamil was selected by the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) executive committee.
Constantine was a former India head coach while Tarkovic has managed the Slovakia national team in the past.
The AIFF Technical Committee, led by legendary striker IM Vijayan, had shortlisted the three candidates for the executive committee’s final decision.
An AFC Pro License Diploma holder, Jamil will succeed Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who parted ways 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 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 AIFF president also made it clear that Jamil will be a full-time national team head coach and will not be associated with any other club. Jamil’s predecessor Manolo had played a dual role during his one year tenure, taking charge of ISL side FC Goa when there was no national team matches.
“Jamil will only be head coach of the national team,” Chaubey replied when asked whether Jamil will also play dual role just like Manolo.
Jamil’s first assignment in his new role will be the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup, to be held in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan starting August 29.
He 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, India play their AFC Asian Cup qualifying round games on October 9 and 14 — against Singapore home and away.
Jamil has long been a trailblazer in Indian football.
The biggest achievement of his more than a decade-long managerial career was the 2016-17 I-League title with Aizawl FC, who upstaged big-spending giants like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC.
The northeastern club had an annual budget of just around Rs 2 crore, The unassuming Mumbaikar also guided two relatively understated sides to the ISL play-offs — NorthEast United in 2020-21 and Jamshedpur FC in 2024-25.
Legends, including Vijayan and Shabir Ali, wanted Indian coach ======================================= Jamil was considered the frontrunner even before his appointment and he got the support from legends like Vijayan and Ali — Technical Committee chairperson and vice chairperson respectively — and former India coach Amrando Colaco who is currently advisor to Chaubey.
The AIFF said Vijayan was in favour of an Indian coach, saying the country had a much higher FIFA ranking with the likes of Sukhwinder Singh and Syed Nayeemuddin as the head coaches.
“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.
Colaco and Ali also pitched in 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… 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,” the AIFF said.
“Thereafter, the majority of the house accepted the recommendations of the TC.” Former India players and current executive committee members Pinky Bompal Magar, Thongam Tababi Devi and Climax Lawrence also supported giving an opportunity to an Indian coach.
“Suggestions of Stephen Constantine also came in from a few members of the EC. However, after detailed discussions, the house decided in favour of Khalid Jamil.
“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 Final Round Qualifier matches against Singapore in October, Jamil would be a better option, since he has been working with Indian players on a regular basis.” The AIFF had received 170 applications, which included big names like former Liverpool stars Robbie Fowler and Harry Kewell. PTI PDS ATK PDS AT AT
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