Khalid Jamil has been appointed as the new head coach of the Indian football team, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Friday.

“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,” the AIFF said in a statement on its official X handle.

Jamil replaces Manolo Marquez who mutually parted ways with AIFF last month to become the first Indian head coach of the Indian senior men’s football team since 2012 and will look to take the team to greater heights.

The Blue Tigers find themselves in a tricky spot in their AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign after a draw and a loss in their opening two matches against Bangladesh and Hong Kong respectively in Group C and sit at the bottom of the points charts.

Jamil’s first assignment as head coach of the team will be the CAFA Nations Cup, where India will take on Tajikistan, Iran and Afghanistan as they gear up for the remaining AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, starting with a doubleheader against Singapore in October.

Watch In The Stands with Khalid Jamil

The 48-year-old has impressed as a head coach in the Indian Super League (ISL), guiding Jamshedpur FC (2024-25) and NorthEast United FC (2020-21) to semi-finals during his stints with the clubs. He has also previously won the I-League with Aizawl FC.

Jamil is known for his ability to get the best out of his players and has also groomed a batch of youngsters like Rahul Bheke, Lalengmawia Ralte, Ashutosh Mehta and Jayesh Rane who have gone on to have solid careers in the ISL.

More to follow…

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