The All India Football Federation (AIFF) technical committee has shortlisted Khalid Jamil, Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic for the position of Indian men’s football team head coach.
The shortlist was finalised on Wednesday following a virtual meeting of the technical committee. A total of 170 applications were reviewed by AIFF to arrive at the final three candidates. The resumes of the shortlisted coaches will undergo further review before a final appointment is made by the AIFF.
The new coach will replace Manolo Marquez, who parted ways earlier this month.
Stephen Constantine is a former head coach of the Indian men’s football team, having served in two stints: 2002–2005 and 2015–2019. He led the team to a silver medal at the 2003 Afro‑Asian Games, and under his second tenure, India won the 2016 SAFF Championship and the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. He also oversaw India’s qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Constantine previously coached East Bengal in the 2022–23 Indian Super League season. His most recent role was head coach of the Pakistan national team.
Khalid Jamil has extensive experience in Indian domestic football, having managed Aizawl FC, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC. He currently coaches Jamshedpur FC. Jamil guided Aizawl FC to the 2016–17 I‑League title, making them the first club from Northeast India to win the league.
He also led NorthEast United to the ISL playoffs in 2020–21 and finished runners-up in the Super Cup with East Bengal in 2018 and Jamshedpur in 2025.
Stefan Tarkovic, the third candidate, is currently head coach of Kyrgyzstan. He has prior experience coaching Slovakia’s U18 and senior teams.
