Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is keen to hand Khalid Jamil a full-time contract as national team coach but will have to secure his release from Jamshedpur FC.Jamil is contracted with Jamshedpur till June 2026 and has currently guided the team to the quarterfinals of the Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament.“We are happy that Khalid is the AIFF’s choice for the national team job, but we are still working on the details,” Jamshedpur CEO Mukul Choudhari told TOI. “We have had initial talks with AIFF, but nothing has been decided yet (on the release).”Last year, AIFF allowed Manolo Marquez to continue with FC Goa, with whom he was contracted, till the end of the season, before taking up the job on full-time basis.“Khalid is a very good coach and it’s never easy to lose someone like him. We have to see what he has in mind before taking a call that suits all parties,” said Choudhari, whose association with the coach goes back to his days with Mumbai FC.This will be Jamil’s first international appointment of any kind, with the former India midfielder having only managed in domestic club football.Jamil’s first assignment will be later this month in the CAFA Nations Cup where India have been drawn to play giants Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The big test though will be the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers where India have crucial games against Singapore and Bangladesh later this year.WHAT NEXT FOR INDIACAFA Nations Cup
- Aug 29: Tajikistan vs India
- Sept 1: India vs Iran
- Sept 4: Afghanistan vs India
AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
- Oct 9: Singapore vs India
- Oct 14: India vs Singapore
- Nov 18: Bangladesh vs India
