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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently announced via social media the appointment of Khalid Jamil as the new head coach of the Indian senior men’s national football team. He steps into the role following the resignation of Manolo Marquez last month.
Khalid Jamil , who has earned the AIFF Men’s Coach of the Year award for two consecutive years (2023–24 and 2024–25), brings with him high expectations. His appointment has generated significant interest as fans and analysts await to see how he performs on the national stage.
Notably, Khalid Jamil made history as the first Indian head coach in the Indian Super League (ISL) and also became the first Indian to guide a team—Northeast United FC—into the ISL playoffs during the 2020–21 season.
He was chosen from a shortlist of three candidates that included himself, former India coach Stephen Constantine, and Slovakian manager Stefan Tarkovic. Financial constraints reportedly played a key role in finalizing Jamil’s selection for the position.
A proven winner
Khalid Jamil, 48, has a deep understanding of Indian football and a proven record of success. He has won India’s top-flight league both as a player—with Mahindra United in 2005—and as a coach, having led Aizawl FC to a historic I-League title in 2017.
His coaching résumé spans the I-League, I-League 2, and ISL. Most recently, he took over as head coach of Jamshedpur FC midway through the 2023–24 season. Under his leadership, the team reached the Super Cup semifinals and finished as runners-up. In the following season, he steered JFC to the ISL semifinals.
Jamil’s first test as India’s head coach will come later this month at the CAFA Nations Cup, where India is scheduled to play against Iran and 2023 Asian Cup quarterfinalists Tajikistan.