Khalid Jamil - a forgotten hero amidst Kolkata's mess?

Fourteen months ago, Aizawl FC and head coach Khalid Jamil effectuated India's own 'Leicester moment'.

On April 30, 2017, Aizawl became the first north-eastern side to clinch I-League title and head coach Khalid Jamil ended the season as the hero they've all been waiting for. 

India termed Jamil a genius for working his magic at Aizawl in his first ever season in charge of the north eastern club. There were talks of a Bollywood movie being made on Jamil's triumph. However, less than 14 months later, Jamil finds himself without a job in India's top flight league.

And the coaching wizard opted to make a move to Kolkata's East Bengal.

Khalid Jamil's move to East Bengal was not surprising as East Bengal were desperate to win their first ever I-League title while the former was to get a massive financial windfall.

What was surprising about the move was that people genuinely expected it to work well. This was a club that had appointed eight different managers in nine years. 

People demanded a repeat of his success at Aizawl, a league win that the Red and Golds have been craving for 14 years. His campaign started with the club successfully retaining the Calcutta Football League (CFL). However, the club had a poor start to their I-League season as they only had a point from the first two matches, which included a defeat to Mohun Bagan.

In the second leg of the derby, East Bengal produced one of the most hapless displays witnessed in recent times. What made matters worse was that they could have won the I-League title but a defeat to Gokulam and a draw against Shillong Lajong hampered their hopes once again.

The club management appointed Subhash Bhowmick to work alongside the head coach ahead of the Super Cup, a decision which was a sign of the problems ahead for Jamil.

Goal

Jamil went from being the hero at Aizawl to an alleged villain at East Bengal within a year, a sight that was painful to witness. He spent the last few months at East Bengal as the helpless head coach who was chaperoned by a supposedly 'know-it-all' technical director in Bhowmick. The club lost the Super Cup final to Bengaluru FC and Jamil was soon left without a job. 

Despite the issues he came across in Kolkata, Jamil has not taken anything personally, "I don't have any problem (with East Bengal). Everything is fine."

Jamil's situation is a sad reality in Indian football. Good things are quickly forgotten and a few months in Kolkata flushed the memories of a magnificent title win down the drain. 

Jamil denied reports of talks over his next destination and said, in typical style and tone, "No, I am not in talks with any club at the moment. Ramzan just got over, I am relaxing now."

Will Khalid Jamil be able to prove his doubters wrong and succeed at the top level again? For that he needs a job first.