New Delhi [India], August 7 (ANI): As Indian football has evolved over time, there’s a growing call for developing a strong coaching ecosystem rooted in the country’s football culture, and Khalid Jamil’s appointment as India’s head coach is a significant and inspiring development.
Jamil not only became the first Indian to hold the post since 2012 but also the first Indian head coach in over a decade. With Jamil set to embark on his journey as the Blue Tigers’ head coach, ISL reflect on the Indian head coaches who spent time in the national team’s hot seat.
Representing the country is a matter of immense pride, and taking on a leadership role only deepens that honour, along with the responsibility it carries, as per the official website of the Indian Super League (ISL).
The allure of foreign experience, with its promise of international exposure and modern tactical trends, often overshadows the expertise of homegrown talent.
Syed Abdul Rahim is still regarded as the greatest Indian football coach ever, and it is largely down to his achievements with the Indian football team.
Rahim coached the Indian football team in various stints between 1951 and 1962 and took India to heights the country has never managed to reach on a football field. His biggest feats include two gold medals at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games. He also guided India to a fourth-place finish at the 1956 Olympics.
Rahim introduced a unique playing system and bamboozled opponents with his smart tweaks, which also included playing defender Jarnail Singh as a striker in the semi-final of the 1962 Asian Games against South Vietnam, which led to India reaching the final.
He also had a keen eye for talent and nurtured several future stars of the Indian football team. He employed innovative coaching methods, such as staging tournaments that only allowed players to use their weaker foot, to improve players during his time.
He made India one of the best teams in Asia and earned them the title of ‘Brazil of Asia’. Rahim died of lung cancer in 1963, and Indian football is yet to reach those heights since.
Sukhwinder Singh managed the Indian football team in two spells and played a key part in moulding the careers of some of India’s best-ever players. Bhaichung Bhutia played some of his best football under Singh for both club and country. Later in 2005, it was Singh who identified the talent of Sunil Chhetri and handed him his national team debut when not many saw him as the obvious candidate to play for the national team. The rest, as they say, is history.
In his first stint, Singh guided India to SAFF Championship glory in 1999, but his greatest achievement was India’s performance in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which remains the best till date. The Blue Tigers defeated UAE at home during the qualifiers and lost just one match in the entire campaign to finish on 11 points, just two shy of leaders UAE. The two draws against Yemen proved costly for Singh’s side as they missed out on reaching the second round of the World Cup qualifiers by a whisker. A win in either of the two games against Yemen would have sent India through to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, a feat which India is yet to achieve.
The former JCT coach may not have won as many accolades as some of the other coaches on the list, but he remains one of the best Indian coaches of the national team thanks to his maintaining a strong win percentage during his tenure despite facing some really tough opponents during his time.
Nayeemuddin managed India in three different stints in three different decades and always brought silverware to the table. He first worked as an assistant coach to Amal Dutta when India won the gold medal at the 1987 South Asian Games. Nayeem then took over the charge of the national team for two years and straight away put emphasis on physical fitness, advocating the importance of proper diet and discipline. His strict approach to coaching attracted mixed reactions from the players, but his insistence on fitness improved India’s performances on the pitch.
Nayeem returned as national coach in 1997, helping India win the SAFF Championship, a feat he repeated in 2005 when he was brought back to the helm for a third stint.
Nayeem, who is the only footballer to win both the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards, deserves a lot of credit.
Savio Medeira, a former midfielder and assistant coach under Bob Houghton, was promoted to head coach in 2011. He took over after Houghton’s departure in a transition phase and showcased that assistant coaches could successfully step up and deliver results.
Medeira’s brief tenure saw India win the SAFF Championship in 2011. However, the Blue Tigers couldn’t cross the group stage hurdle in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup under his guidance. (ANI)
