Heard On The Stands -- Churchill Brothers in talks with Khalid Jamil to be their next head coach
KHALID JAMIL'S JOURNEY AS a coach may once again take him to a new part of the country, this time more towards the south.
TFG has learned that the renowned coach who led Aizawl FC's through a dream season when they became the Champions of India, then coached East Bengal to a CFL title and an I-League campaign where they were in the title race till the last day of the league, is in talks with Churchill Brothers FC to be their next head coach.
Jamil has spent most of his playing career in Mumbai, and he came into his own as a coach at Mumbai FC. His coaching assignments outside Mumbai so far have been in Mizoram and West Bengal; a Goan adventure, if it happens, will be something new for him.
Churchill Brothers finished last in the I-League 2017-18 season and were therefore relegated from the top division league of India. But rumours suggest they are trying hard to have that relegation cancelled and remain on the top flight.
Interestingly, Aizawl FC too were relegated from I-League after the 2015-16 season. Their relegation was overturned following appeals from fans and political figures, and an inspiring performance in Federation Cup 2016 where they reached the final. Churchill Brothers showed competitive spirit in the recently concluded Super Cup, where they knocked out ISL franchise Delhi Dynamos in the qualifiers before losing to Mohun Bagan.
But the club's owners apparently believe they can pull off what Aizawl FC did and remain in the top flight in the 2018-19 season.
Perhaps their pursuit of Khalid Jamil shows they are taking more than one leaf out of Aizawl FC's book here.
The deal is far from done; a source suggests that Jamil himself wants to gain more clarity on Churchill Borthers' plan to overturn their relegation before making a decision.
