A new hope for AIFF?: Can Khalid Jamil revive the Indian national team?

Can veteran Khalid Jamil be the one to bring glory days for the Indian team? (Image credits - CommonsWikipedia, License Details)

The All India Football Federation was bound to make a major shift as a desperate attempt to change their destiny as they appointed the veteran Khalid Jamil to lead the Blue Tigers, who becomes the first Indian to be in charge of the Indian team in over 13 years.

As per the data provided by ESPN, the Indians recorded arguably their worst performances ever when Savio Medeira was appointed the national team head coach back in 2012, when they failed to score even a single goal while conceding eight against teams like North Korea, the Philippines, and Tajikistan, who ranked much lower than them.

After Madeira's disastrous spell, the AIFF had not shifted their focus to the domestic expertise, appointing only foreign coaches to lead the Indian team since then, until Jamil recently broke the streak.

What made the AIFF convinced to appoint Khalid Jamil, an Indian manager?

While there have been speculations about Indian coaches' understanding of modern-day football and the technicalities that go with it, Khalid Jamil has showcased tremendous displays during his 15-year managerial career, where he has coached some of the most prominent clubs in India, including Mumbai City FC (2009-2015), Mohun Bagan (2018-2019) and most recently Jamshedpur FC (2023-2025).

On top of having showcased brilliant tactical displays, developing teams, and grooming talents, Jamil has a strong understanding of Indian football and all the difficulties that come with it, after having been in the circuit since 1996, as a player and as a manager.

In the current state of football in the country, an experienced Indian tactician like Jamil could significantly assist the AIFF in making the best decisions for the team given the challenging circumstances and available resources.

Plus, an Indian coach would surely achieve better communication with the upcoming domestic talents, who would be much more comfortable conversing in local languages.

While some find Jamil's arrival as a positive call, some experts believe that this appointment was conducted as an act of hurry and done due to a lack of funds required to hire a better alternative. Many have also raised concerns regarding his playing style and whether it would be suitable for the Blue Tigers or not.

However, irrespective of the opinions, one thing is for sure: Khalid Jamil has arrived during an extremely turbulent situation for Indian football, with the national team still adjusting to life after Stimac, which has been further amplified by the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League, causing major unsettlement amongst players and the clubs.