Khalid Jamil wants more OCI players for Indian football team, seeks patience to turn things around: ‘Development takes time’

Indian football team coach Khalid Jamil demanded the availability of more Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) players and patience from fans to revive the fortunes of the Blue Tigers, who have been facing an alarming slide in international football.

After losing to Singapore and being knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying in October, India suffered their first defeat to Bangladesh in 22 years earlier this month. In the FIFA rankings, India have slid to 142 after climbing up to 99th in 2023 under Igor Stimac.

Khalid wants more OCI players for India

One of the major reasons for recent poor form is the lack of domestic football. The 2025-26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is yet to begin as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) failed to extend its contract with the commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). AIFF’s tender for a new partner to run the ISL also did not find any suitors.

Facing the media over poor results with the Indian football team, Jamil said that ISL must start soon, while fans must be patient as it takes time to turn things around.

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“I feel the ISL should resume at the earliest. It is important that the players get the chance to play enough competitive matches,” Jamil said in Kolkata on Saturday. “Development takes time, and we should have a positive frame of mind, which is necessary to ensure that everything gets back on track in time.”

Jamil was named India’s coach in August 2025 and helped them win the bronze medal on the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 debut, but things have only gotten worse since then.

The former Jamshedpur FC coach Khalid Jamil also added that he is planning to bring in more young players in the squad and hopes more OCI players become available.

The 32-year-old Ryan Williams was part of India’s squad for the Bangladesh match after sacrificing his Australian citizenship, but the Bengaluru FC forward did not get to play as AIFF failed to secure FIFA's approval in time. He has since attained the approval and can play for India in March 2026.

“We are thinking about inducting more Under-23 and U-21 players in the national team. We will do the scouting once the ISL and the I-League get underway,” Jamil said.

“There are a few more (OCI) players in the international scene, and we are seeing who else is available. It would be better if we had more such players in the team; it would definitely improve our performance. It would have been good if we had Williams in the last match, but it didn’t happen.”