Spanish professional football manager Manolo Marquez has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian senior men's football team. The decision to appoint Manolo as the new head coach was taken during the All India Football Federation’s Executive Committee meeting, chaired by AIFF President Shri Kalyan Chaubey on Saturday, July 20.
The meeting was attended by AIFF Vice President Mr. N.A. Haris, Treasurer Mr Kipa Ajay, and members Ms. Thongam Tababi Devi, Ms. Valanka Natasha Alemao, Ms. Pinky Bompal Magar, Mr. Menla Ethenpa, Mr. Vijay Bali, Mr. Syed Husnain Ali Naqvi, Mr. Neibou Sekhose, Mr. Maloji Raje Chhatrapati, Mr. Mohan Lal, Mr. Syed Imtiaz Husain, Mr. Arif Ali, Mr. Bhaichung Bhutia, Mr. Shabbir Ali, Mr. Climax Lawrence, and Acting Secretary General Mr. M. Satyanarayan. Executive Committee members Mr. Lalnghinglova Hmar and Mr. I.M. Vijayan attended the meeting via video conferencing.
Marquez has been picked for the role with immediate effect. He replaces Igor Stimac in the top role. Marquez is also FC Goa's head coach and will handle both responsibilities in 2024-25 season, following which he will take the Indian team's head coach role full-time.
On roping the Spanish manager, AIFF President Shri 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."
"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," Manolo said after assuming the post.
Manolo has coached two ISL clubs - Hyderabad FC (2020-23) and FC Goa (2023-present). He has experience of working with Indian football and coaching national team players during his ISL tenure. He is also an ISL winner with Hyderabad in 2021-22.
He has overseen several Spanish clubs during his coaching tenure including Las Palmas (top division) and Las Palmas B, Espanyol B, Badalona, Prat and Europa (third division).
