Manolo Marquez has stepped down as the head coach of the Indian men’s football team following a mutual agreement with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), ending his time in the job in less than a year.
Marquez, a Spanish coach with experience in Indian club football, took charge of the national team in June 2024. Hopes were high when he was appointed, as he had previously enjoyed success in the Indian Super League (ISL). However, under his leadership, India struggled to produce consistent results on the international stage.
During his tenure, India played eight matches, recording only one victory, a 3-0 win over the Maldives. The team drew four times and suffered three losses, including a costly 1-0 defeat to Hong Kong in an Asian Cup qualifier last month. That loss significantly damaged India’s chances of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and increased pressure on Marquez.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the AIFF confirmed that both sides agreed to separate on good terms, with no financial penalties involved. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said that while Marquez is a respected coach, the team’s performance, particularly in scoring goals, had fallen short of expectations.
“Our biggest problem is that we’re not scoring enough goals and we don’t have enough good strikers. Everyone in Indian football knows this,” Kalyan Chaubey said. “One way to help could be to reduce the number of foreign players so Indian strikers get more chances to play.”
The AIFF has announced plans to start an open selection process to appoint a new head coach as soon as possible. A shortlist of candidates is expected by mid-July. With India’s next round of international fixtures scheduled for October, the federation is under pressure to find a suitable replacement quickly to prepare the team for crucial matches against Singapore and other regional rivals.
Marquez’s departure marks one of the shortest coaching tenures for India’s national team in recent years. It also underscores the challenges Indian football faces as it seeks to improve its standing in Asia and qualify for major tournaments like the AFC Asian Cup and the FIFA World Cup. For now, the Blue Tigers await fresh leadership as they look to revive their campaign and keep hopes alive for continental football in 2027.
Written by Kinjal Walantra
