In a landmark decision for Indian football, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Executive Committee, following the recommendation of its Technical Committee, has appointed Khalid Jamil as the Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team. The decision was made during a virtual meeting chaired by AIFF President Shri Kalyan Chaubey on Friday, August 1, 2025.
The selection followed a comprehensive SWOT analysis presented by AIFF’s Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha and National Teams Director Subrata Paul, evaluating the final three shortlisted candidates — Khalid Jamil, Stephen Constantine, and Štefan Tarkovič.
Renowned Indian coaches and awardees — Dronacharya recipients Mr. Bimal Ghosh and Mr. Armando Colaco, and Dhyan Chand Awardee Mr. Shabbir Ali — supported the move to promote an Indian coach. They argued that Indian coaches deserve more opportunities at the top level, drawing parallels with their own experiences in coaching without prior national team roles.
Technical Committee Chairman IM Vijayan, a Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee, emphasized that under Indian coaches like Sukhwinder Singh and Syed Nayeemuddin, India had achieved higher FIFA rankings. Vijayan strongly endorsed Khalid Jamil, noting his proven credentials and back-to-back AIFF Men’s Coach of the Year titles (2023–24 and 2024–25).
Several Executive Committee members, including Vice President NA Haris, Pinky Bompal Magar, Thongam Tababi Devi, Climax Lawrence, Menla Ethenpa, Arif Ali, and Mohan Lal, echoed the sentiment, affirming that a homegrown coach could bring greater understanding and continuity to Indian football.
While some members did propose Stephen Constantine, who had previously coached India, the final consensus favoured Jamil, especially with the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 later this month and AFC Asian Cup Final Round Qualifiers against Singapore coming up in October. Jamil’s regular involvement with Indian players was viewed as a significant advantage.
With this appointment, Khalid Jamil becomes the first full-time Indian head coach of the senior men’s team in over a decade, marking a crucial step toward empowering domestic coaching talent and reinforcing national footballing identity.
