The All India Football Federation (AIFF) named Manolo Marquez, the FC Goa gaffer, as the senior men’s National side’s head coach for the next three years.
The decision was made in the federation’s executive committee meeting to find the next coach after the departure of Igor Stimac, whose contract was terminated after the Indian team failed to make it to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Marquez’s name was selected from a panel of 20 shortlisted candidates who had initially applied for the job. The seasoned Spanish coach was preferred for his knowledge of the Indian ecosystem.
Marquez is regarded as one of the best coaches in the ISL as he helped Hyderabad FC win the trophy in 2022 while playing a big role in developing Indian players, many of whom are now part of the National squad.
With the federation forced to economise owing to a financial crunch, the executive committee tasked its president, Kalyan Chaubey, to negotiate the salary with Marquez.
While deciding on the appointment of Marquez for three years, the AIFF also accepted the option of allowing the Spaniard to coach FC Goa simultaneously till the end of the season in 2025.
“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,” the AIFF president said in a statement.
New secretary general
The AIFF executive committee also decided to appoint the Kerala Football Association secretary Anilkumar Prabhakaran as the new secretary general of the AIFF. This means that the acting general secretary M. Satyanarayan will be continuing in his previous role as the assistant secretary.
The AIFF executive committee also decided to defer the relegation process in the Indian Super League by another season. According to the roadmap presented by AIFF to the Asian Football Confederation, the relegation process was supposed to start in the ISL by the 2024-25 season.
