Khalid Jamil To Have India Head Coach Role For ‘Two Or Three Years’, To Leave Jamshedpur FC

Khalid Jamil will take charge of the Indian men’s national football team for a period of “two or three years”, confirmed All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey on Friday, 1 August 2025. The 48-year-old head coach will leave his current position in charge of Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC to take the reins of the Men in Blue, becoming the first Indian to become the national team manager since 2011.

“The AIFF ExCo has picked Khalid Jamil as the new head coach, but his tenure has not yet been decided. We will do that after discussions with him and among ourselves,” Chaubey told PTI. “Jamil wanted a three-year tenure … It will be a long-term tenure, maybe two or three years, and performance-based.”

Jamil, a former India international, has a glowing reputation after securing the I-League 2016-17 title with Aizawl FC. He was part of a three-man shortlist, which also included former India boss Stephen Constantine and ex-Slovakia manager Stefan Tarkovic.

The AIFF Executive Committee, with recommendations from the IM Vijayan-chaired Technical Committee, decided on Khalid Jamil to replace the outgoing Manolo Marquez.

One of the many problems plaguing Marquez was juggling his duties as the national team manager and the head coach of FC Goa. In Jamil’s case, Chaubey made it clear that he will be a full-time national team coach.

“Jamil will only be head coach of the national team,” Chaubey said.

IM Vijayan Backed Khalid Jamil Choice

The decision to hire Khalid Jamil was heavily backed by influential voices in the decision-making process. IM Vijayan, the chairman of the AIFF Technical Committee, pointed to Jamil’s two-time AIFF Men’s Coach of the Year status as a reason for his appointment.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chairperson Shabir Ali and former India coach Armando Colaco also advocated for an Indian to be in charge of the national team. “They (Ali and Colaco) believe Indian coaches need to be given fair chance to prove themselves,” AIFF’s statement read.

(With PTI Inputs)