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India Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Players need more pride when playing for India: Manolo Marquez
Former head coach of the Indian men's football team, Manolo Marquez, reflected on his stint and believes that players who are involved in the international setup should show more pride when playing for the time with the national team was not ideal as expected. In his time as the head coach, the Blue Tigers took just one win in the eight games played, and as a result, their chances to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 took a massive back on his managerial stint with the national team, Marquez, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, suggested that the players needed to show their pride, especially when playing for the national team. 'I feel the players can arrive with more pride. Pride to play in the national team,' Marquez commented. But he was quick to clarify that this was not the primary reason behind their recent CORE GROUP OF PLAYERSAs far as mistakes were concerned, Marquez admitted the lack of direction in what he had intended as compared to what transpired. This is about his first press conference, where he admitted that he wanted to work with a core group of players, something he never had during his were mistakes, he said. If you call 49 players in five FIFA windows, it means you never found the correct group. So, it's more about me,' he even defended the decision to bring back Sunil Chettri to the national side. Marquez wholeheartedly believed that Chettri still had the minerals to lead the frontlines after seeing his performances in the Indian Super League. During this time, the national team was in dire need of an attacking threat, too. So it was only natural to consider the all-time great.'It was risky, yes. But we had problems in finding goals, and he was scoring in the ISL. He had a chance against Bangladesh, and if he had scored, everything would have changed. Now, everyone can say that it was a mistake, and I need to accept that. But I think that was not a mistake. He is a top professional and I was very satisfied to be able to count on him,' he said.- Ends
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Latest FIFA ranking of India - Blue Tigers drop six spots after loss to Hong Kong
The men's Indian football team fell six spots to 133rd in the latest FIFA rankings announced on Thursday. It is India's lowest ranking in nearly a decade. The last time it was ranked lower than this was in December 2016, at 135. The Blue Tigers have gone on a downward spiral since the end of 2023, when it won three trophies and had broken into the top 100. However, it made a group stage exit from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, and an elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers followed. ALSO READ: Malaysia rises to highest FIFA rankings in 19 years under former right-hand man of Postecoglou A change of head coach, from Igor Stimac to Manolo Marquez, did not help as India failed to win a competitive match in over 16 months. Earlier this month, Marquez also parted ways with the team, with his last match in charge being a 0-1 loss to Hong Kong in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup third round qualifiers. The six-spot drop was the second-steepest fall for any team around the world in the current rankings, joint with Chinese Taipei, Cayman Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, El Salvador and Slovakia. Only Congo, the Maldives, Haiti and Jamaica are the countries with a steeper fall of seven positions.
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Kochi Blue Tigers buys Sanju Samson for a record amount at KCL auction
Kochi Blue Tigers won the bidding war with Thrissur Titans to buy marquee player Sanju Samson for ₹26.80 lakh in the auction for the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) here on Saturday. Samson also became the most expensive player in the history of the KCL. Trivandrum Royals was the first team to bid for Sanju for ₹10 lakh but Thrissur Titans joined the fray and straightaway increased the amount to ₹20 lakh. Blue Tigers responded with ₹20.20 lakh and pursued it till Titans backed out when the price touched ₹26.80 lakh. Blue Tigers splurged more than 50 per cent of its available purse of ₹50 lakh for buying Samson. Apart from Samson, the Kochi side also bought K.M. Asif, Vinoop Manoharan and Akhin Sathar to complete the quota in Category A. It also sprang a surprise by buying the oldest player in the auction, the 42-year-old K.J. Rakesh for ₹75,000. 'Sanju brings in a lot of value to the side. He was always in our plans from the outset and we were determined to get him at all costs,' said Blue Tigers coach Raiphy Vincent Gomez. Vishu Vinod was the second most expensive buy in the auction. The swashbuckling batter was pocketed by Aries Kollam Sailors for ₹12.80 lakh. Titans and Alleppey Ripples bid aggressively for Jalaj Saxana with the latter nailing the all-rounder for ₹12.40 lakh. Basil Thampi was Royals' most expensive buy at ₹8.40 lakh. Royals also used the RTM (Right to Match) card to buy Abdul Basith for ₹6.40 lakh. Titans exercised the RTM cards to buy back Ahammed Imran, M.D. Nidheesh, Mohammed Ishque and Akshay Manohar while Blue Tigers used it for Nikhil Thottath, P.S. Jerin, Vipul Shakti and Jobin Joby. M. Nikhil was the most expensive player sold in Category B as he was bought for ₹5.9 lakh by Royals. Royals also paid the highest bid amount for a Category C player, doling out ₹3.95 lakh for V. Ajith. In all, 26 players (out of 31) in Category A, 16 (from 40) in Category B and 49 (from 84) in Category C were sold. The squads (amount in lakh): Aries Kollam Sailors: Biju Narayanan (1.5), Sachin Baby (7.5), Sharafuddeen (5), Abhishek J. Nair (1.5), M.S. Akhil (8.4), Vishnu Vinod (12.80), Pavan Raj (2.5), Eden Apple Tom (1.5), Vathsal Govind (1.5), Rahul Sharma (0.75), Athuljith Anu (0.75), A.G. Amal (0.85), Ashik Muhammad (0.75), Bharath Soorya (0.75), P.S. Sachin (0.75), Vijay Viswanath (1.50), Jose S. Perayil (0.75), N.S. Ajayghosh (0.75). Alleppey Ripples: Mohammed Azharuddeen (7.5), Akshay Chandran (5), Vignesh Puthur (3.75), T.K. Akshay (1.5), N.P. Basil (5.4), Jalaj Saxena (12.4), Sreehari S. Nair (4), Mohammed Kaif (1.5), Aaditya Baiju (1.5), Anuj Jotin (0.75), Rahul Chandran (0.75), M.P. Sreeroop (0.80), Balu Babu (0.75), K.A. Arun (0.75), Abhishek P. Nair (0.75), Akash Pillai (0.75), Mohammed Nazil (0.75), Arjun Nambiar (0.75). Calicut Globstars: Rohan Kunnummal (7.5), Salman Nizar (5), Akhil Scaria (3.75), Anfal Pallam (1.5), M. Ajnas (6.4), (5), Sachin Suresh (5.3), Manu Krishnan (1.8), Akhil Dev (1.05), Monu Krishna (2.1), Ibnul Afthab (3.65), Ajith Raj (0.75), Preethish Pavan (0.75), Krishna Devan (0.75), M.U. Harikrishnan (1.5), Shine John Jacob (1.5), S.N. Ameersha (0.75), T.V. Krishna Kumar (0.75), Trivandrum Royals: Govind Dev Pai (1.5), S. Subin (1.5), T.S. Vinil (1.5), Basil Thampi (8.4), Abhijith Praveen (4.2), Abdul Basith (6.4), Krishna Prasad (3), Fanooz Faiz (4.6), Riya Basheer (1.6), M. Nikhil (5.9), Sanjeev Satheesan (2.2), V. Ajith (3.95), Asif Salem (0.90), J.S. Anuraj (1.5), Adwaith Prince (0.75), J. Ananthakrishnan (1.5). Thrissur Titans: Shoun Roger (4.4), Sijomon Joseph (5.2), Anand Krishnan (7), Varun Nayanar (3.2), Ahammed Imran (3), M.D. Nidheesh (3), C.V. Vinod Kumar (6.2), Mohammed Ishaque (1.5), Akshay Manohar (3.5), K.R. Rohith (0.75), Arun Poulose (0.80), Vishnu Menon (1.4), Adithya Vinod (0.75), Athif Bin Ashraf (1.25), K Ajnas (0.75), Anand Joseph (1.1), Amal Ramesh (0.75), Sibin Gireesh (1.5), A.K. Arjun (2.85), Aju Paulose (0.75). Kochi Blue Tigers: Vinoop Manoharan (3), Sanju Samson (26.80), K.M. Asif (3.2), Akhin Sathar (3), Nikhil Thottath (2.1), P.S. Jerin (2.4), K. Ajeesh (0.75),Muhammed Shanu (0.75), Vipul Shakti (0.95), N. Afrad (0.75), K.J. Rakesh (0.75), Jobin Joby (0.85), Saly Samson (0.75), Muhammad Ashik (0.75), Alfi Francis John (2.2), (1).
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First Post
05-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Who are the potential candidates in the reckoning to become next head coach of Indian football team?
As per a new report, five names have emerged, who are being considered for the role of the next head coach. Let's give a brief glance at each one of the contenders. read more Ashley Westwood is apparently one of the contenders who can become next Indian head coach. (indianfootball_wc) With positive results hard to come by and having incurred losses against teams like Afghanistan and Thailand, Indian football is going through a torrid patch lately. The misery has worsened as following the defeat against Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup, head coach Manolo Marquez also resigned. Marquez's departure has left a huge void, and applications to fill the manager's position are now open. Also Read | STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As Indian Football is in dire need of an individual who can transform the entire setup and make the Blue Tigers formidable competitors again, it will be intriguing to see who the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will next put faith in. Since the position is open, various names are making waves and could be in the mix. Speculations highlighted that former coach Stephen Constantine could be brought back as the head coach. However, a new report has been dropped which brings to light four names who are seemingly in the reckoning. More from Football As reported by Sangbad Pratidin, one among the following coaches is rumoured to take over as the next Indian Football men's national team head coach: Sanjoy Sen, Khalid Jamil, Ashley Westwood, Park Hang-seo, or Sergio Lobera. Also Read | A brief on the contenders Sanjoy Sen is a well-known Indian football coach and former player. He has been associated with several prominent Indian football clubs, including Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Sen has also had stints as the coach of the Indian national team and has been involved in various football development programs in the country. Khalid Jamil is an Indian professional football manager and former player, currently serving as the head coach of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur FC. Jamil had a notable playing career with clubs like Mahindra United, Air India, and Mumbai. Ashley Westwood is a seasoned English football coach with over 25 years of experience in the sport. He holds both UEFA Pro and AFC Pro licenses, making him a highly qualified coach. Park Hang-seo is a renowned South Korean football manager and former player, born on October 1, 1957. He's best known for leading the Vietnam national team to significant victories, including the 2018 AFF Championship and two consecutive SEA Games gold medals in 2019 and 2021. Sergio Lobera is a Spanish professional football manager. He has managed several clubs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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First Post
02-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Manolo Marquez parts ways with Indian team; AIFF hunts for coach for second time in as many years
Manolo Marquez' decision comes a year after he took charge of the Blue Tigers and less than a month after the team suffered a 0-1 loss against Hong Kong, a team ranked 26 places below them. read more AIFF took the decision to part ways with Manolo Marquez after an Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, 2 July. Image: AIFF Manolo Marquez parted ways with the Indian football team on Wednesday, 2 July, a year after his predecessor Igor Stimac was sacked from the job following a string of poor results. The decision to relieve the Spaniard of his role as head coach was formalised during the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Executive Committee meeting that took place on Wednesday. Marquez's departure from the Indian team comes nearly a month after the , a team ranked 26 places below them on the FIFA rankings. It also comes during a turbulent time in Indian football where the Blue Tigers, and everyone and everything associated with it including the AIFF, is . STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Marquez did not resign, insists AIFF The AIFF, however, insisted that the decision was the result of mutual agreement between the two parties. 'He did not resign. After discussions, it was mutually agreed that the AIFF and Manolo Marquez cannot continue as India (men) coach. Accordingly, he was let go,' AIFF acting general secretary M Satyanarayanan was quoted by Sportstar as saying. More from Football Marquez's decision thus ends double-duty for him – having to manage the Indian team in addition to FC Goa during the Indian Super League. The Spaniard had won the Super Cup with the 'Gaurs' this year besides helping Hyderabad FC win the league in 2022 but had limited success with the senior men's national team, winning just one match in charge of the side – a 3-0 victory over Maldives in March. Marquez leaves the Indian team at a time when they are yet to collect a single win in their ongoing AFC Asian Cup Qualifying campaign; India were held to goalless draw draw by Bangladesh in Shilling before suffering defeats against Thailand (0-1) and Hong Kong (0-2). The AIFF is yet to officially name a successor for the 56-year-old, though they are likely to appoint an Indian.
