New Delhi: The All India Football Federation and new senior men’s national team head coach Khalid Jamil have reached an agreement over his contract after more than a week of negotiations.
No details of Jamil’s tenure were offered when the AIFF had announced him as Manolo Marquez’s successor following an executive committee meeting on August 1.
The federation’s communique that followed didn’t have Jamil’s comments on his appointment, for which he wasn’t interviewed and cherry-picked from a shortlist of Anglo-Cypriot Stephen Constantine and Slovak Stefan Tarkovic.
But after protracted negotiations, Jamil is set to sign on a two-year deal, with the option of an extension for another year, depending on performance, News9 Sports can reveal.
The AIFF plans to make a formal announcement on Monday, before which Jamil will sign on the dotted line.
“The negotiations are too far along for any party to back out now,” a person aware of the development said.
Jamil, like Constantine and Tarkovic had initially demanded a straight up three-year deal that would begin from the CAFA Nations later this month.
The AIFF remained coy on offering a long-term deal without inclusion of any performance clause, having initially proposed a 1+2 year deal, keeping in mind its stretched coffers and in line with the existing committee’s term limit.
But after deliberations back and forth, Jamil and the AIFF have agreed on an initial two-year cap, with the option of an extension, subject to agreement from both parties.
“Jamil has been a 2+1 year deal, which would be renewable depending on India’s performance and qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup,” another person, who is aware of the proceedings, said.
“In principle, he has agreed to it and there are no issues that need ironing out but he is yet to sign on the dotted line, which he is about to do.”
Joining date, camp dates still sketchy
Jamil had already given his nod to a Rs 10 lakh per month remuneration along with availability of six support staff, details of whom are yet to be finalised though some of them is expected to be from his current employers Jamshedpur FC.
Since it will be a full-time role, in a departure from the dual-coaching situation of Marquez, Jamil’s joining date, dates for a national camp prior to his first game in charge against Tajikistan on August 29 need to be ascertained swiftly.
Once Jamil signs the deal, he is expected to resign from his JFC job and begin formal exit discussions with the Indian Super League club, who have won all their three Durand Cup group games (Tribhuvan Army – 3-2, Indian Army – 1-0 and 1Ladakh FC – 2-0) to progressed to the quarter-finals, which will be held on August 16 and 17.
“We will have to see how smoothly his transition from the club to the national team can be done,” said someone who is tracking the proceedings.
Once his joining date is fixed, a list of probables will be drawn up and duration of the camp that may tentatively begin from August 15 in Kolkata will be finalised before the team reaches Dushanbe on August 27.
Jamil’s first competitive match in charge will be an Asian Cup qualifier away in Singapore on October 9 followed by the return leg in Bengaluru five days later.
India are at the bottom of their qualifying group with only a point after two matches, following a home draw against Bangladesh in March and an away loss against Hong Kong before Marquez’s departure.
Only the top team from the group will qualify for the continental event that will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027.