New Delhi: Khalid Jamil will be the first home-grown coach to man the senior men’s national team in 13 years after the All India Football Federation rubber-stamped his appointment on Friday.
Ever since Savio Medeira was relieved of his duties in March 2012 has there not been an Indian coach in charge but after Manolo Marquez’s horror stint ended only after a year into his three-year deal, the AIFF has thought it’s time to trust a son of the soil again.
“The executive committee endorse what the technical committee recommended. Khalid wants a 3-year deal. Though some in the Ex Co want him to be given a deal for one or two years.
“His remuneration will be Rs 10 lakh per month and the AIFF will provide him with six support staffs. He won’t have a say in chossing those support staffs.
“The tenure will be decided by the AIFF on an urgent basis,” a person aware of the development disclose to New9Sports.
Jamil’s first assignment being the CAFA Nations Cup where they begin campaign against hosts Tajikistan in Dushanbe on August 29, before facing Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on Sept 4.
He has made a name for himself in the domestic circuit with an I-League trophy at Aizawl in 2016-17 and more recently through semi-final appearances for Northeast United (2021-22) and Jamshedpur FC (2024-25) in the Indian Super League.
The 48-year-old’s ability to punch above the weight with limited resources is what found favour with the federation, apart from being the most pocket-friendly option among three shortlisted names that included Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic.
As manager of JFC in the Durand Cup, he would take the least amount of time to adapt, a factor that went in his favour, overriding components such as his inexperience at the international level and unfamiliarity of handling big names in the dressing room.
Jamil came highly recommended from AIFF’s technical committee and renowned coaches Bimal Ghosh and Armando Colaco, who serve as advisers to president Kalyan Chaubey.
Once the AIFF’s executive committee had approved of Marquez’s departure on July 2, his name cropped up in initial discussions.
But as he had turned down an offer to take over the U-23 team in May, citing an existing two-year deal with JFC, doubts had persisted over his willingness this time.
It needed some persuasion from technical director Shabir Pasha for the former midfielder to change his mind for a team that is langushing at the bottom of its AFC Asian Cup qualifying group, with two matches away and home against Singapore in a span of six days in October (Oct 9 and Oct 14 respectively).
A former international with 40 caps between 1998 and 2006 till injuries curtailed his playing career, Jamil would know at least what playing for the badges means, at a time when national team director Subrata Paul has noted “player’s attitude, patriotism and overall team spirit” as some of the challenges for the side.