Panaji: Coaches in the past have turned down a chance to play former world and European champions, and it wasn’t entirely without a reason. Bob Houghton said no to an invitation from an agency to play a friendly against Brazil in London, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) turned down an opportunity to cross swords with Netherlands.The mismatch between India and the opponents was too big to ignore. Nobody believed the team could measure up to the huge challenge.Khalid Jamil’s approach has been different. His debut assignment was the CAFA Cup, where two of the participating teams — co-hosts Uzbekistan and Iran – made it to the FIFA World Cup 2026, headlining the high level of competition. India won against hosts Tajikistan and beat higher-ranked Oman on penalties to win a cherished bronze.Since then, Indian football has had little to celebrate.Amid a gloomy run for the national team that saw them fail to qualify for the 24-team AFC Asian Cup, there are big tests coming up, starting with a clash against World Cuppers Panama in Bengaluru later this month. Then there’s a historic clash against five-time world champions Brazil and later Uruguay.“I don’t fear anything,” Jamil told TOI over a recent video call. “For CAFA Cup, there were high-ranking teams. I could have been selfish and said no, I don’t want this assignment (for my debut). I felt it was good. These high-profile games can be good for Indian football; it can prove to be a turning point. We need more such games. The results are not in my hands, but we should put up a good show.”The gap between India and the opponents for the Sept 21-Oct 6 international window is alarming. Brazil are ranked fifth in the world, India a poor 128. Uruguay (20) and Panama (44) are the other opponents, raising fear that the hosts could find life extremely difficult on the field.“Whatever AIFF has done, I am very happy. I feel we must move out of our comfort zone. These are teams that have been world champions. How long will we play against lower-ranked teams? We must test ourselves (against stronger teams) and stay positive. This is a good move. After this window, we have World Cuppers New Zealand (in Nov). I am certain we will see improvements. Whatever the results, I will not blame anyone. It’s my responsibility,” said Jamil.The national team will assemble in Bengaluru next week for the training camp. Jamil said he wanted a bigger window for preparation but with half the probables coming from just three clubs – Mohun Bagan (5), East Bengal (4) and Bengaluru FC (3) – was happy that clubs agreed to release the players a week before the official window opens.“We suffered last time (when Bagan refused to release players for the Unity Cup),” said Jamil. “The clubs are into pre-season training, but they agreed to give us an additional week. Players are out of touch with the Durand Cup being the only competitive games, and not all clubs took part. We have a lot of work to do.”
