Spanish National Manolo Marquez has been selected as the new head coach of the Indian men’s football team.
The appointment was decided by All India Football Federation (AIFF) executive committee at Saturday’s meeting.
Marquez, who is managing FC Goa in Indian Super League, is set to replace Igor Stimac. Stimac was removed from his position.
Speaking in a media release, AIFF Head Kalyan Chaubey said ‘We are delighted to welcome Mr. Marquez to this important role and are also thankful to FC Goa for their generosity of releasing him for national duty. We look forward to working with Mr. Marquez in the years ahead. The AIFF, FC Goa, and Mr. Marquez will collaborate closely to ensure there is minimal impact between the two jobs and strive to achieve the best possible results for all involved.’
Meanwhile, Igor Stimac was removed as head of Indian football team on June 17, 2024. This happened, when Indian team did not enter the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Manolo Marquez is a ex-Spanish footballer who now manages FC Goa in Indian Super League. Since 2020, he has been doing the coaching job in India. Already, he has led two ISL clubs.
In 2021-22 season, He has won a ISL cup with Hyderabad FC. But before coaching in India, Marquez has also managed various Spanish teams such as Las Palmas of first division, Las Palmas B, Espanyol B, Badalona, Prat, and Europa of third division
After he got appointed as India’s head coach, Marquez expressed huge fondness for India and thanked FC goa for giving him the flexibility in handling the national commitments.
Talking about his appointment, he said, ‘It’s an honour for me to be the National Football Team coach of India, a country I consider my second home. India and its people are something I feel attached to and I feel a part of since I first came to this beautiful country. I want to do my best to bring success to the millions of fans we have. I am very grateful to FC Goa for allowing us the flexibility to help the national team during the coming season while I am still the club’s head coach. I’m grateful to the AIFF for this opportunity and we hope to do great things for football’
