Khalid Jamil (pictures via x/@90ndstoppage & Shaji4football) Khalid Jamil, named as the new head coach of the Indian men’s football team 1. August 2025, brings with it a decade of experience and a deep understanding of the home game. Jamil’s early love for football was born in the Kuwaiti city 21. April 1977 to parents in Panjab. . After moving to India, Jamil rejected early offers from clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan because of sponsorship. He started his game career with Mahindra United and later showed up to Air India and Mumbai FC.As a midfielder, between 1998 and 2006, he received 40 international caps for India before he forced him to retire in 2009.
Khalid Jamil (in white) India will clean the ball in front of Jorda of West Brom during the pre -season friendly match in Hawthorns, England, Birmingham (Image Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport)
Jamil’s real impact, however, was like a manager. Starting with Mumbai FC in 2009, he built a reputation for more with less. Over seven seasons, the club kept competitive in I-League despite limited resources. His greatest success came up with AIZawl FC in the 2016/17 season, led the loser club to the historical title of I-League, which was also the first team from Northeast India. Triumph made his name even more popular and showed his ability to build winning teams. Followed by points with East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Northeast United. In the 2020/21 season he became the first Indian coach to lead the team to the playoffs of Isl and led the northeast to the 10-match undefeated run. Later he was also named the first permanent Indian league coach with the same club.
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Jamil also trained Bengalur United, Nepal’s Chitwan FC and Jamshedpur FC, with valuable experiences at different levels. With Jamshedpur, he led the side to the Super Cup semifinals in 2024. Now in the helm of the Indian national team and the first Indian, who has taken the role since 2012, it brings a 48-year-old grounded, hardworking and tactical approach. Known for his deep tactical understanding and the ability to connect with players, his appointment shows an Indian attitude to confidence in Indian managers and a step forward in shaping another phase of Indian football.
