Former India international Khalid Jamil (48), who steered the minnows Aizawl Football Club to the I-League title in 2017, was on Friday appointed the head coach of the Indian national men’s football team.
He is the first Indian in 13 years to be in charge.
Jamil, who is currently training Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, was selected by the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) executive panel from a three-man shortlist.
The other two in the list were ex-India head coach Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic, who earlier coached the Slovakia national team.
Jamil’s international debut came in a friendly match against Uzbekistan in 1998 and has donned the India colours in 40 matches all between 1998 and 2006.
Exhorting Jamil’s appointment, a soccer expert adds, “It’s the right choice. He knows Indian football at the back of his finger and there’s no harm trying him out.”
Jamil’s stint as a coach would also come in handy, he says. “He has had a successful tryst with coaching and that would definitely help as he takes over as the coach of the senior national side.”
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Choosing him over the likes of Constantine and Tarkovic is also a prudent move, he says. “I wonder whether Tarkovic knows English, so his communication will be a problem. And Cosntantine has been tried.”
Now, the question is: Can Khalid salvage Indian soccer, which is languishing at 133 in FIFA rankings?
