Manolo Marquez appointed as new head coach of Indian football team

Marquez, currently coaching FC Goa, will replace Igor Stimac, who was dismissed following India's exit from the World Cup qualifiers.

Marquez will parallelly serve as the coach for both FC Goa and the Indian football team throughout the 2024-25 season until his contract with the ISL team expires. Afterward, he will focus entirely on the national team.

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said he was delighted at securing the Spanish strategist for the job and also thanked FC Goa for their generosity in releasing him.

“We are delighted to welcome Mr. 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 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," said Chaubey.

Marquez has been coaching in India since 2020, leading two Indian Super League (ISL) clubs during his tenure.

He began with Hyderabad FC, where he served from 2020 to 2023 and notably won the ISL Cup in the 2021-22 season.

Following his success with Hyderabad, he moved to FC Goa in 2023, where he currently serves as the head coach.

FC Goa released a statement confirming the news, stating that the AIFF had requested Marquez's expertise for the national team.

"Manolo Marquez to continue as Head Coach, takes charge of Blue Tigers as well...This significant development comes following requests from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for Coach Marquez to bring his expertise and leadership to the national team," read the statement.

Marquez expressed that it was an honor to become the new coach of the Indian team, calling India his second home. He promised to do his best to bring success to the fans as the new head coach of the Indian national team.

“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," said Marquez.

Before moving to India, Marquez had an extensive coaching career in Spain.

He managed Las Palmas in the top division, as well as their B team.

His resume also includes coaching stints with Espanyol B, Badalona, Prat, and Europa in Spain's third division.