Change in motion

Strap: Amid turmoil & uncertainty, Khalid Jamil arrives as India’s new football coach, ready to turn fortunes around

Blurb:

Coach Jamil’s debut will come against none other than defending champions Iran and 2023 Asian Cup quarterfinalists Tajikistan in the CAFA Nations Cup later this month

Byline: Rakesh Ganesh

Indian football is once again caught in its own storm. Clubs threaten shutdowns, salaries are frozen, and one team even refuses to release its players for national duty. Fans shout, but their voices dissolve into silence. The stars who shine in the league, earning crores, dim on the international stage. Chaos feels like the norm. And yet, in the middle of all this turbulence, a flicker of promise has emerged, a man who could steady the ship. His name is Khalid Jamil, the newly appointed coach. Could he be the turning point Indian football has been waiting for?

Between courtrooms & training grounds

A week ago, the mood at Bengaluru FC shifted from routine to shock. Players and staff were blindsided by a chilling message from the club, warning of an “unfortunate and significant development concerning the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL).” The words were bleak – “unprecedented” and with “no resolution in sight.”

But BFC are not alone. Just days earlier, Odisha FC had already pressed pause on player salaries, and whispers suggest more clubs will soon follow. The season itself hangs in the balance, and with it, the fragile ecosystem of Indian football.

At the core of this standoff lies a deep rift: the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its marketing partners, FSDL, are locked in a tug-of-war over the renewal of the 15-year Master Rights Agreement (MRA). The deadlock has already forced Kerala Blasters to slash staff wages, with players possibly next.

Meanwhile, half the league including heavyweights like Chennaiyin, Hyderabad, and Mumbai City haven’t even begun pre-season training. The picture is grim. If the ISL collapses, nearly 400 players, many on hefty contracts, will be left stranded.

So, how close is Indian football to a solution? The path forward is murky. First comes the Supreme Court’s order, then comes the negotiation between AIFF and FSDL, two entities currently pulling in opposite directions.

Add to this the looming question of promotion and relegation, and the crisis deepens. Over Rs 5,000 crore has already been sunk into the league in the last 11 years without clubs breaking even. Youth academies, reserve teams, staff jobs, local vendors, every layer of the ecosystem stands exposed.

The ISL, once billed as the game-changer of Indian football, now teeters on the edge. How long can this uncertainty last? Nobody knows but every passing week makes the cliff look steeper.

 

Khalid Jamil to the rescue?

Amid the storm that engulfs Indian football, one announcement has managed to cut through the chaos and stir genuine excitement among fans – the appointment of Khalid Jamil as head coach of the men’s national team.

It is a rare sight in Indian football’s modern history, an Indian at the helm of the senior team. Since 1993, only two men have had that honour – Sukhwinder Singh and Savio Medeira. Now, Jamil becomes the third, stepping into the spotlight at a time when the nation craves stability and hope. He succeeds Manolo Marquez, who resigned last month after enduring a winless year-long spell. From a shortlist that included former coach Stephen Constantine and Slovakian tactician Stefan Tarkovic, the AIFF turned to Jamil, the homegrown choice. His credentials speak volumes. Born in Kuwait, the 48-year-old has conquered Indian football both as a player and as a coach.

As a midfielder at Mahindra United, he collected the National Football League (2006), IFA Shield (2006), and two Federation Cups (2003, 2005). He also donned the national colours 40 times before injuries cut his playing days short.

But it is Jamil’s story as a coach that truly elevates him. His appointment comes at a time when India languishes at 133 in the FIFA rankings and hasn’t won a competitive game since November 2023. For most, that’s a daunting task.

For Jamil, it’s familiar territory. He first made his mark at Mumbai FC, keeping the financially stricken side afloat in the top division for seven straight seasons. His reputation for doing more with less soon landed him at newly promoted Aizawl FC. What followed was nothing short of astonishing. In 2016-17, with a modest squad, Jamil led the Mizoram club to the I-League title, finishing above giants Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and the defending champions Bengaluru FC. It was India’s very own “Leicester City miracle”, and it still echoes in the hearts of those who witnessed it.

In the Indian Super League (ISL), Khalid Jamil has made a habit of defying the odds. At NorthEast United in 2021, he took over mid-season after Gerard Nus was sacked and masterminded a stunning 10-match unbeaten run that carried the team to the semifinals. It was a statement performance, and one that underlined why he remains the only Indian coach trusted in the ISL.

His next chapter unfolded at Jamshedpur FC. Brought in midway through the 2023 season to replace Scott Cooper, Jamil wasted no time, guiding the side to the Super Cup quarterfinals within a month. The following year, with one of the lowest-valued squads in the league, Jamshedpur punched far above its weight, reaching the Super Cup final and storming into the ISL semifinals.

Now, Jamil stands at the threshold of his biggest challenge yet – the Indian national team. His debut will come against none other than defending champions Iran and 2023 Asian Cup quarterfinalists Tajikistan in the CAFA Nations Cup later this month. The timing is tricky, the tournament falls outside the FIFA window, but Jamil is expected to have most of the national pool at his disposal (apart from Mohun Bagan players), aided by the week-long gap between the Durand Cup final and the opener.

The competition allows fresh squad selection for each matchday, giving Jamil the chance to assess a wider group of players. For three decades, India has looked abroad – Spain, England, the Netherlands, Croatia only to find little lasting success. Now, for the first time in a generation, the country turns inward. And Khalid Jamil has the chance to prove that the future of Indian football might just speak in its own voice.