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Indian Super League franchise NorthEast United FC have announced that Khalid Jamil has joined them as their Head of Academy and Assistant Coach to the first team.
42 year old Khalid Jamil was born in Kuwait City and played his first youth football in the Gulf before having to flee due to the second Gulf War. At youth level he played in Mumbai before being signed by Mahindra&Mahindra SC in 1997. After a year he left for Air India and established himself as a regular National Football League player and during this time in 2000 he got his first India call-up.
In the summer of 2001 Khalid Jamil was a much sought after player, but he stayed in Mumbai to sign for Mahindra United and not for one of the Kolkata giants. In 2007 he left for newly founded Mumbai FC and played for them for two seasons before taking over as head coach in 2009. He stayed with Mumbai FC until 2016 keeping them in the I-League with a limited budgets and then surprised everyone by signing for Aizawl FC and they went on to score an incredible I-League triumph in the 2016/17 season.
Thereafter he joined East Bengal, where he won the Calcutta Football League title but didn’t win the I-League which led to his contract ending at the end of the campaign.
NorthEast United FC’s Executive Director Priya Runchal said on the appointment, “Identifying, grooming and providing a pathway for talent from the North East has always been a guiding vision for the club. Not only does Khalid have vast knowledge about India’s football landscape, he is also very familiar with the region. His past accomplishments such as winning the I-League and developing players fills us with confidence that he is the right candidate for the job. We are extremely happy to welcome him to the Highlander family.”
Khalid Jamil said, “It is a pleasure for me to be associated with NorthEast United and contribute towards the grooming and scouting of young players. The North East is the hotbed of talent and it is an exciting opportunity to be back in the region that breathes football. I would like to thank the management for their trust and for providing this opportunity to help build a sustainable youth structure for the club – one that is a conveyor belt for the first team. Our goal is to turn this system into one of the best in the country with the ability to cater to over 200 youth prospects at a time. In my capacity as Assistant Coach to the First Team, I look forward to working in the ISL for the first time and am confident that we can top last year’s excellent season.”
In January 2019, Khalid Jamil replaced Shankarlal Chakraborty at Mohun Bagan until the end of the season and now joins NorthEast United FC.
The club is delighted to announce that former I-League winning coach Khalid Jamil has agreed to join the Highlanders on a 3 year deal as Head of Academy and Assistant Coach to the first team. ??????#WelcomeKhalid #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/nOmkM72R2o
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) June 19, 2019
