Manolo Marquez and AIFF part ways mutually; Federation to put out advertisement for head coach role

The Hindu

12 hours ago

The Manolo Marquez chapter in Indian national team football ended on a rather anticlimactic note as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) mutually agreed to part ways with the Spaniard on Wednesday.
The decision was one of the many taken at the AIFF Executive Committee Meeting today.
'Mr. Marquez did not resign. After discussions with the AIFF, it was mutually agreed that he will not continue as India (men) coach. Accordingly, he was let go,' M. Satyanarayanan, the acting general secretary of the AIFF, told Sportstar.
Marquez, who guided Hyderabad FC to the Indian Super League (ISL) title in 2022 and won the Super Cup with FC Goa this year, had succeeded Igor Stimac as India coach a year ago.
ALSO READ | AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey: We must evaluate if we had a structured youth development system 10 years ago
But he has failed to replicate his club success at the international level. India did not win any competitive match under the Spaniard, despite Sunil Chhetri, India's record goalscorer, coming out of retirement earlier this year.
His last match was a 0-1 loss to Hong Kong, India's first competitive defeat to the opponent in 32 years.
Marquez was in two minds after the draw with Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in March and had eventually made up his mind to move on.
However, there were discussions between the AIFF and the coach, with the latter pushing for Marquez to continue. That ultimately hinged his decision on the third round qualifier against Hong Kong on June 10, where the loss acted as his breaking point.
The Blue Tigers played eight matches under him, including friendlies, losing thrice and winning just once, a 3-0 victory over the Maldives.
FILE PHOTO: Khalid (left), like Marquez, has been a coach in the Indian Super League (ISL) and is the only Indian manager in the league. | Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
India, which was ranked 99th in the FIFA rankings in July 2023, has now dropped to 127th, with no wins in competitive football since November 2023.
The Federation will now put up an advertisement for the vacant position, with Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid Jamil one of the names expected to be on the shortlist as a replacement.
Khalid, like Marquez, has been a coach in the Indian Super League (ISL) and is the only Indian manager in the league.
He has taken two ISL sides, Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United FC, to the ISL Cup semifinals, while the former was the Super Cup runner-up last season.
'Jamshedpur FC has not officially received an offer from AIFF for Khalid, and he has a contract with the club till 2026. If at all such an offer comes, the club will decide then,' a source told Sportstar.