India, Aug. 1 -- Hours after being named India coach, Khalid Jamil took a training session with Jamshedpur FC. It could be the last one Jamil takes at the Indian Super League (ISL) club he joined on December 31, 2023. Between then and Friday, Jamil had overseen Jamshedpur FC being docked three points for fielding an extra foreigner and making the ISL semi-final and the Super Cup final.

It was the last two in 2024-25 that got Jamil's former coach and teammates to support him as the first Indian in charge of the national team since Savio Medeira in 2012. The post opened when Spaniard Manolo Marquez stepped down as head coach after 11 months.

IM Vijayan, who chairs the technical committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), backed...