The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday said Khalid Jamil has taken charge of the senior men’s team on a full-time basis for a period of two years with an option to extend his contract by one year, depending on results. It said Jamil has signed the contract after parting ways with ISL team Jamshedpur FC.

Jamil will begin his first training camp on August 15 at the Dravid-Padukone Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru. His first assignment with the Indian football team will be the CAFA Nations Cup, where India will face hosts Tajikistan (August 29), Iran (September 1) and Afghanistan (September 4) in Group B.

In the October FIFA Window, India will play two crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches against Singapore on October 9 and 14. “I am both deeply proud and immensely privileged to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading our national team. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to train Indian players, and I’ve grown to understand their strengths and weaknesses intimately. These insights will be fundamental to everything we do as we prepare for the CAFA Nations Cup and the upcoming crucial Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore,” said Jamil.

Jamil, the first Indian to coach the men’s national team since Savio Medeira in 2012, has extensive coaching experience in the Indian Super League and the I-League, managing clubs like Jamshedpur FC, NorthEast United FC, Aizawl FC, East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan AC and Mumbai FC. He had led Aizawl FC to a historic I-League title in 2016-17. The 48-year-old’s most recent spell with Jamshedpur FC saw the Red Miners reach the final of the Super Cup 2025 and the semi-finals of the ISL play-offs 2024-25 and the Super Cup 2024.

Jamil is a former India international with 15 caps to his name. A midfielder, he made his debut in the 1997 SAFF Championship in Nepal, where India emerged champions. He was part of the Indian squads for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the 2001 Merdeka Tournament. In the Santosh Trophy, Jamil represented Maharashtra, with whom he won the title in 1999.

He has assumed charge in difficult situation: Bhutia

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia feels “sorry” for Khalid Jamil, who has taken charge of the national football team at a time when the sport is going through a difficult phase in the country. Bhutia said the AIFF preferred him because he is unlikely to make too many demands.

“We have got two world class coaches leaving, including Igor Štimac who coached the Croatian team, and Manolo Marquez, who is one of the great coaches with great history. If these two coaches couldn’t work with the federation, you bring people who will listen and will do what the Federations says and will not come up with his own ideas and demands from the federation I think Jamil being a domestic coach fits into that as he is fairly new to the team,” said Bhutia after a Fidel Castro Centenary Football Cup exhibition match.