Why does Khalid Jamil being India's next head coach make sense?

AIFF is likely to announce the next India head coach on August 1

Ever since Manolo Marquez’s exit from the role of the head coach of the Indian Senior Men’s National Team earlier this month, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been on the hunt for his replacement. Around 170 candidates filed their applications for the job, out of whom three have been identified as the primary options.

While Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic have been considered as solid foreign candidates, the name that has surprised many is Khalid Jamil. In this article, we argue why the homegrown Khalid Jamil could be the best man to take the Blue Tigers out of their miserable run of form.

Also Read: Exclusive: Indian Football Team to replace Malaysia in CAFA Nations Cup 2025

The face of the most iconic fairytale run in I-League history

If there’s anyone who loves to engineer a good underdog story, it’s Khalid Jamil. The 48-year-old has consistently done well with teams that have to punch above their weight to win titles. He started his coaching career for Mumbai FC in 2009, the team with whom he finished his playing days. Despite going through financial turmoil, Jamil kept the team afloat in the premier club competition in the country at the time, the I-League.

When Mumbai released him at the end of the 2015/16 season, he joined Aizawl FC. The team from Mizoram had finished eighth out of nine teams in the previous season, their first in the I-League, and were set to be relegated. However, much to everyone’s surprise, they were reinstated.

Khalid Jamil took Aizawl all the way to I-League glory, despite the likes of heavyweights such as Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Bengaluru FC breathing down their necks. With Leicester City’s dream run seared into many fans’ brains from a year before, Jamil’s boys had showcased the same heroics.

Aizawl FC became the first team from the north-east region of India to taste national success. Mumbai FC, on the other hand, were relegated that season and would shut down within less than a year. Given the Blue Tigers’ miserable form, every game for them will be a David against Goliath scenario. It is crucial for a personality like Jamil to step in and rejuvenate an underdog team, like he has done so many times before.

Also Read: Stefan Tarkovic in three-man AIFF shortlist for Indian Football Team head coach role

The most successful Indian manager in ISL

The Indian Super League (ISL) had begun with a lot of glitz and glamour, with celebrity coaches and players abound. However, as the years went on, clubs started taking a more economical approach, prioritising what worked best for their teams. After Gerard Nus parted ways with NorthEast United FC during the 2020-21 season, the club management decided to trust the erstwhile assistant coach, Khalid Jamil.

The impact was immediate. Under a wily and pragmatic Jamil, the Highlanders went on an unprecedented ten-match unbeaten run to reach the playoffs, making him the first Indian coach to take an ISL team to the knockout stage. Although NorthEast fell short of reaching the final, Jamil would become the first Indian permanent head coach of a club the following season.

After stints at Bengaluru United and FC Chitwan of Nepal, Jamil returned to manage Jamshedpur FC in the ISL. With the Juggernauts, Jamil reached the semifinal of the 2024/25 ISL and the final of the 2025 Super Cup. He has established himself as a household name in Indian Football and brings with him a wealth of experience working with talented Indian youngsters.

No Indian manager has been this consistent since ISL became the primary club competition. While the likes of Armando Colaco and Sanjoy Sen may not have got a fair shot at coaching the Blue Tigers for an extended period, the scenario can be different for Jamil, who has made the final shortlist.

A pragmatic approach to football

Given how poor India’s form has been – one win in their last sixteen matches, it isn’t a master tactician that is the need of the hour. The Blue Tigers need someone to take them back to focusing on the basics, strengthen the defensive shape, and start playing with more freedom and ease. These are ideas that are championed by Khalid Jamil. He shared his thoughts in an interview with ISL media earlier this year.

“I ask players to play their natural game. That is the most important thing. It shouldn’t be that my players function like robots. Sometimes all they need is a little push in the right direction, otherwise it is not very rigid. My system depends on a match by match basis. Whether it’s a home game or an away game, how the opposition plays.”

He further elaborated on how overburdening players with tactical information can harm the team’s performance.

“Only the correct information needs to be conveyed. Players have their capacities, you cannot demand unnecessary actions from them. You need to give them a push in the right moments.”

No Indian head coach for the Blue Tigers in 13 years

It has been a very long time since an Indian coach was given a shot at coaching the Men’s Senior Team. Savio Medeira was the last manager, who parted ways in 2012. Since then, it has only been a string of foreign coaches – Wim Koevermans, Stephen Constantine, Igor Stimac and Manolo Marquez, who have sat on the hot seat.

An Indian, who knows the footballing circuit inside out, would be a breath of fresh air for the players. Jamil would be able to relate and communicate with his boys on a level that is perhaps not possible for a foreign manager. It is only fair that the most successful Indian coach in the last few years gets a shot at the top job.

Khalid embodies everything that India needs right now – a trustworthy track record, no-nonsense football, and a personality that demands gritty results. Whether he lands the position or not will only be decided by the Technical Committee of the AIFF, but one can definitely hope.

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