Who after Manolo Marquez? Khalid and Renedy among three-man shortlist for next India coach

Former India internationals Khalid Jamil and Renedy Singh are two of the three individuals who have made the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) shortlist for the next head coach.

The post of the National men’s team coach has been vacant after Manolo Marquez mutually parted ways with the side earlier this month. 

The AIFF had received 163 applications for the top job; the number was eventually trimmed to 20—10 Indians and 10 foreigners—by the National team director, Subrata Paul.

While the list of foreigners included Australian Harry Kewell, former Tajikistan head coach Petar Šegrt, and Englishman Stephen Constantine, the Indian applicants included Sanjoy Sen, Shanmugam Venkatesh, and Shankarlal Chakraborty.

On July 23, the list was presented to the members of the Technical Committee, with an option to vote for their top three.

There were suggestions from some attendees, including Subrata, to reinstate Constantine—a coach under whom India had bettered its FIFA rankings from 173 to 97 between 2015 and 2018. The argument in favour of the Englishman was to have him on a contract until India’s next Asian Cup qualifier—against Singapore on October 9—and then decide on a long-term solution.

That a majority of members at the meeting preferred having a solution immediately to avoid a full-fledged appointment routine meant Renedy and Jamil’s names became automatic choices. The Executive Committee is expected to come up with the confirmed name soon.

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Renedy played 72 times for India between 1998 and 2011 and was part of the team that won the SAFF Championship (2005, 2011), Nehru Cup (2007, 2009), and AFC Challenge Cup (2008). He moved to coaching after retirement in 2015 and is currently the assistant coach of Bengaluru FC. He has formerly been the coach of I-League side NEROCA FC and also served as the interim head coach of East Bengal in the 2021-22 campaign.

Renedy Singh during his time as the interim coach of SC East Bengal.
| Photo Credit:
Vipin Pawar/Focus Sports/ ISL

Under Renedy, East Bengal fielded an all-Indian eleven against Jamshedpur, a first in the ISL. He had also been the president of the Football Players Association of India for nearly a decade since 2014, before Mehrajuddin Wadoo took over this year.

Meanwhile, Jamil, a former Mumbai FC teammate of AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, has created a reputation for delivering positive results with limited resources. In 2017, he helped Aizawl—a club that earned promotion from the second division a year prior—win the I-League, orchestrating one of the greatest underdog stories in Indian football.

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Later, he took NorthEast United and Jamshedpur FC to the semifinals, and the latter to the Super Cup final last season.

Khalid Jamil had been approached for the job of India Under-23 head coach earlier.
| Photo Credit:
Shibu Preman / Focus Sports / FSDL

It is understood that Jamshedpur—Jamil’s current employer—has already had discussions with the AIFF. Sources close to the club have indicated that since the Indian Super League is not starting until late this year, JFC feels releasing him for the national team in the October window would barely affect the club’s season.

Earlier, Jamil was approached for a job as the coach of the under-23 side, one that did not materialise as he was contracted with Jamshedpur until 2026. However, if and when the future of ISL is ascertained, the Men of Steel would look for a potential replacement in Owen Coyle, under whom Jamshedpur won the league title in 2022.