 "Khalid Jamil replaces Manolo Marquez as Indian men’s football team coach. Image: ISL Media")
Former Indian midfielder Khalid Jamil has been named as the new Indian men’s football team coach by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday. The current Jamshedpur FC coach, Jamil, was picked ahead of former India coach Stephen Constantine and Slovakian tactician Stefan Tarkovic .
Jamil replaces FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez as India head coach after the Spaniard quit the job in June following a defeat to Hong Kong in an AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 2027 Final Round match.
AIFF appoints Khalid Jamil as new India coach
“The AIFF Executive Committee, in the presence of the Technical Committee, has approved the appointment of Khalid Jamil as the new head coach of the Senior India Men’s National Team,” AIFF announced on X on Friday.
Khalid Jamil’s appointment marks a return of an Indian coach at the helm of the Indian men’s football team after a gap of more than a decade. The last Indian to coach the Indian men’s football team was Savio Medeira in 2011–12.
As a player, Jamil featured in 15 matches for India, winning the SAFF Championship in 1997. He also featured for football clubs like Mahindra United, where he won the NFL, Federation Cup, Durand Cup and the IFA Shield.
As a coach, Jamil has been highly successful in the domestic circuit, famously winning the I-League in 2016–17 with Aizawl FC. His Jamshedpur side were the runner-up in the Super Cup earlier this year and also reached the Indian Super League (ISL) semi-finals.
Fans celebrate Jamil’s appointment
Former AIFF secretary Shaji Prabhakaran was among those who hailed Jamil’s appointment as the new coach of the Indian football team.
“A bold decision by AIFF and Khalid himself to join hands at a time when the challenge is of highest level,” Prabhakaran wrote on X.
A fan termed the decision as “promising,” as he spoke about Jamil’s coaching qualities.
“A promising appointment. It’ll be interesting to see how an Indian coach navigates the national setup. Khalid Jamil is known for shaping disciplined, hard-working teams, but he’s typically been most effective without big-name players, relying instead on a core group he trusts,” he wrote on X.
Another fan said, “Who needs Xavi when we have our very own Khalid Jamil. Let’s hope it works out well."