AIFF goes desi with Jamil as coach

Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has cleared the path for Khalid Jamil to take over as coach of the national football team.

Should Jamil – currently coaching Jamshedpur FC -- agree to the terms offered by the AIFF in the next 24 to 48 hours, he will become the first Indian as full-time coach since Sukhvinder Singh in 2005. Two other Indians, Armando Colaco and Savio Medeira, held interim charges, following the sacking of Bob Houghton in 2011.

“It was felt, for the betterment of Indian football, the federation must give an opportunity to an Indian coach,” the AIFF said in a statement after its executive committee meeting on Friday. “The members felt that since India are set to participate in the CAFA Nations Cup this month, followed by back-to-back AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers (against Singapore in October), Jamil would be a better option, since he has been working with Indian players on a regular basis.”

AIFF technical director Syed Sabir Pasha and national teams director Subrata Paul presented a SWOT analysis of all the three shortlisted coaches –Jamil, Stephen Constantine, and Stefan Tarkovic. While the mood was in favour of an Indian coach, a “strong recommendation” from technical committee chairperson and former India captain IM Vijayan helped members decide.

In its presentation, AIFF said Jamil’s playing style is easy for the players to adapt, and that he is “known to create teams that are hard to score against.”

An AFC pro coaching license holder since 2015, the 48-year-old has managed over 200 games in the I-League with stints at clubs like Mumbai FC, Aizawl FC – with whom he scripted a fairytale I-League triumph – East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. In the Indian Super League (ISL), now the top-tier league, he has guided NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur to the semifinals, despite being teams with much lower budgets.

Jamil’s teams are known to be disciplined and well drilled. It’s no secret either that he likes to work with a core group of players who he has trusted through his career, none of them big names or superstars.

“At Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, two of the biggest clubs Khalid has managed, he was never really successful,” said Pradhyum Reddy, Dempo’s technical director who has formerly coached in both I-League and ISL. “The question is whether he can manage the egos (in the national team dressing room) or get rid of the egos.”

Others feel Jamil’s lack of experience with international football can prove to be challenging. The former India midfielder has not coached a club at the continental level or associated himself with any age-group national team in the past.

In May, Kuwait-born Jamil turned down the chance to coach the India under-23 team, knowing he could throw his hat in the ring once Manolo Marquez made it clear that he was on his way out.

“Khalid was the best option among the three coaches who were shortlisted. It shows that the national team job is not reserved exclusively for foreigners. There is some level of meritocracy (with Indian coaches). Khalid has done well in the I-League, got results in the ISL too, so there is a pathway for Indian coaches. But purely from a technical point of view, it’s not the best appointment,” said Reddy.

Many feel the AIFF were left with no choice than make a domestic coach appointment due to the precarious state of its finances. The budgets, according to sources, have been approved only till December, when the 15-year agreement with its marketing partners comes to an end.

“Without an assured annual payment of Rs 50 crore (from the marketing partners), AIFF will be left with nothing. At times like these, hiring an experienced Indian coach makes perfect sense,” said one member.

AIFF sources said the plan is to offer Jamil a two-year contract with a one-year extension clause. Neither party is in favour of a dual club-and-country role.

ABOUT JAMIL

• Youngest Indian coach to win the I-League
• Most number of matches in I-League by any coach
• First full-time Indian coach in ISL, with NorthEast United and now Jamshedpur
• Made heads turn when he guided Aizawl FC to a historic I-League title in 2017, finishing a point ahead of mighty Mohun Bagan
• Reached ISL semifinals with NorthEast and Jamshedpur. Super Cup finalist with East Bengal (2018) and Jamshedpur (2025)