Manolo Marquez Appointed as New Head Coach of Indian Men’s Football Team

FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s senior football team, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Saturday. Marquez replaces Igor Stimac, who was dismissed in June following the team’s poor performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign.

The decision to terminate Stimac’s services was made during a virtual meeting of AIFF senior officials. The appointment of Marquez was confirmed during an Executive Committee meeting chaired by AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey at the Football House in New Delhi.

The meeting was attended by AIFF Vice President NA Haris, Treasurer Kipa Ajay, and various committee members, including Thongam Tababi Devi, Valanka Natasha Alemao, Pinky Bompal Magar, Menla Ethenpa, Vijay Bali, Syed Husnain Ali Naqvi, Neibou Sekhose, Maloji Raje Chhatrapati, Mohan Lal, Syed Imtiaz Husain, Arif Ali, Bhaichung Bhutia, Shabbir Ali, Climax Lawrence, and Acting Secretary General M Satyanarayan. Lalnghinglova Hmar and IM Vijayan attended via video conferencing.

Special invitees included Ajit Banerjee, President of the Indian Football Association (West Bengal); Caitano Fernandes, President of the Goa Football Association; Mulrajsinh Chudasama, Secretary of the Gujarat State Football Association; Anuj Gupta, President of Football Delhi; and Rochak Langer, COO of FSDL.

The Committee deliberated on the appointment of the new head coach for the Senior Men’s National Team and selected Marquez, effective immediately. Marquez will continue his role as head coach of FC Goa during the 2024-25 season, handling both responsibilities before fully transitioning to the national team role.

AIFF President Chaubey commented, “We are delighted to welcome Marquez to this important role and are also thankful to FC Goa for their generosity in releasing him for national duty. We look forward to working with Marquez and will collaborate closely to ensure minimal impact between the two roles, striving to achieve the best possible results.”

Marquez responded, “It is an honour to be the National Football Team coach of India, a country I consider my second home. I want to bring success to our millions of fans and am grateful to FC Goa for their flexibility. I look forward to working with the AIFF to achieve great things for Indian football.”

At 55, Marquez brings extensive experience in Indian football, having coached Hyderabad FC and FC Goa. He is an ISL Cup winner with Hyderabad FC (2021-22) and has also coached in Spain with clubs such as Las Palmas and Espanyol B.

In other developments, the AIFF Executive Committee has appointed Anilkumar Prabhakaran as Secretary General. Anilkumar’s appointment follows his resignation from the AIFF Executive Committee and other sub-committees. His induction will be subject to AIFF protocols and procedures.

(With ANI Inputs)

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