Manolo Marquez has been appointed as the Indian football head coach following the sacking of Igor Stimac.
Stimac was sacked in June for under-delivering with the Indian team. Marquez was appointed as the new coach of the team following an extensive meeting between the AIFF (All India Football Federation) executives.
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Why was Igor Stimac sacked as India coach?
Stimac was sacked after India’s disappointing performance in the 2026 FIFA qualifiers first round. India finished third in a relatively easy group consisting of Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan.
Despite a huge away win against Kuwait in their opening, India went winless in their final five games, drawing two and losing three. Stimac was relieved from his coaching duties after the disastrous campaign.
In India's final qualifier game at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ Sunil Chhetri announced his retirement from the beautiful game as well. At the time of his retirement, Chhetri still ranked at number 3 for most as an active player in world football. The two above him? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Overall Chhetri ranks at number 4 for most goals in international football.
| Player | Team | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 212 | 130 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 187 | 109 |
| Ali Daei | Iran | 148 | 108 |
| Sunil Chhetri | India | 151 | 94 |
Following Chhetri’s heartfelt farewell from the game, Stimac’s sacking was announced soon as well.
Who is Manolo Marquez?
Marquez was appointed as the head coach of the Indian Super League (ISL) side FC Goa back in 2023. The 55-year-old is still set to lead FC Goa in the 2024-25 season as well, nand will be assuming full-time duties of the national team after the end of the season.
Before coaching FC Goa, Marquez had coached Hyderabad FC between 2020-23. He also led the team to a win in the ISL Final. Marquez has been regularly praised for his work with the young talents of India, resulting in new emerging talents like Ashish Rai.
Apart from experience in Indian football, Marquez has also coached in the Spanish top flight, La Liga. Maqrquez coached Canary islands side Las Palmas, Las Palmas B, Espanyol B Badalona, Prat and Europa.
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AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey was delighted in announcing the 55-year-old’s appointment as the new coach. He also stated that the AIFF will be working closely with FC Goa and Marquez in order to get best results.
We are delighted to welcome 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 Marquez in the years ahead. The AIFF, FC Goa, and 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.
Marquez was also happy with his appointment and responded by stating that he considers India as his second home and it would be an honour to coach the national football team. He further stated “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 am grateful to the AIFF for this opportunity and we hope to do great things for football.”
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