Football: Khalid Jamil’s contract term confirmed as new India head coach bids farewell to Jamshedpur
Jamil appointed as India boss on two-year deal
While the Indian Super League’s future remains in serious uncertainty, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) have moved forward in trying to bring some semblance of calm to the national team setup by appointing Khalid Jamil as the team’s new head coach.
The 48-year-old leaves his now-old position with ISL outfit Jamshedpur and replaces Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who stepped down from the national team role last month. In so doing, Jamil becomes the first Indian head coach to hold the position in over a decade.
The AIFF have handed the new boss a two-year contract with an option of a 12-month extension with the Blue Tigers, which will see him lead them beyond the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, for which their qualification is still in major doubt. After penning his new deal, Jamil expressed:
“I am both deeply proud and immensely privileged to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading our national team. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to train Indian players, and I’ve grown to understand their strengths and weaknesses intimately. These insights will be fundamental to everything we do as we prepare for the CAFA Nations Cup and the upcoming crucial Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore”
The former Jamshedpur manager is the first Indian to coach the Blue Tigers since Savio Madeira did so back in 2012, and brings a wealth of experience to the team, thanks to his time in both the Indian top flight as well as the I-League.
Jamil has a massive task on his hands, with his side now down to 133rd in the world according to FIFA rankings after having only won one of their last 16 matches across all competitions, which came against the Maldives in a friendly in mid-March.
CAFA Nations Cup to serve as first assignment for New India head coach
Before resuming their crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore in October, Jamil’s first task as India’s new head coach will come at the CAFA Nations Cup, for which the team were invited to participate in starting at the end of this month. Speaking on the tournament, he said:
“This will definitely be beneficial for us to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. There is absolutely no excuse for us, as we have enough time to prepare for it. We may be treating these as preparatory games, but this is serious business for us.”
The 48-year-old has already made one huge call since his appointment, opting to leave out India’s all-time highest goal-scorer Sunil Chhetri from his initial 35-man squad for the upcoming tournament, saying that “I want to try out a few other players”.
The Blue Tigers' opening match of the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup is scheduled for August 29 against Tajikistan at the Jisor Central Stadium. They will also face Iran and Afghanistan in the four-team Group B.
