Indian Football Transfers: NorthEast United appoint Khalid Jamil as assistant coach

Indian Super League club NorthEast United FC have officially appointed Khalid Jamil as their assistant coach, the club said on their social media account on Wednesday. Jamil has signed a contract for three years and will also be the head of their academy.

Jamil will replace, Australian Shaun Ontong, who, along with former coach Eelco Schattorie, left the club after guiding them to their maiden semi-finals of ISL last season. NorthEast were beaten by eventual champions Bengaluru FC even after winning the first leg.

Jamil, a Kuwaiti born to Indian parents, started playing football at a very early age. During that time, he rejected offers from Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan as they were sponsored by an alcohol company.

He started his professional career with Mahindra United but never got a chance to play. He shifted his allegiance to Air India, where he played 19 matches, scoring two goals. He went back to Mahindra but several injuries brought an early end to his footballing career.

However, Jamil has found considerable success when he turned into coaching. After retirement, he became the coach of now dissolved I-League club Mumbai FC and led them to finish in 11th position of 2009-10 season. It was a great feat considering the limited resources that he had.

He went on to coach Mumbai FC for six more years. During his time, Mumbai FC earned the tag of ‘Giant Killer’ as several big clubs, including East Bengal and Mohun Bagan were defeated by them.

Jamil switched over to take the responsibility of Aizawl FC, a move that is now part of football folklore. Under his guidance, Aizawl surprised one and all and became the champions of I-League, a feat that has found a place in Indian football’s history.

He signed for East Bengal next season and won the Calcutta Football League right away. However, he failed to deliver the elusive I-League and fallout with the then technical director Subhash Bhowmick led to his harsh departure.

Jamil was looking for opportunities to work in Kolkata again and eventually got one, when he was roped in by Mohun Bagan in the middle of last season after the departure of Sankar Chakroborty. The Mumbaikar again failed to deliver as Mohun Bagan finished on the fifth position. In the nine matches under him, the club only accumulated 14 points.

He now has a different task in his hand as most of the main players of last season have departed for several clubs. NorthEast United are yet to appoint a Head Coach.