Marquez was a good coach, but there was no result: IM Vijayan
All India Football Federation (AIFF) Technical Committee director IM Vijayan said poor results led to the federation parting ways with Manolo Marquez.
After an unsuccessful year in the head coaching role, Marquez was relieved of his duties as the men’s team head coach by the AIFF on Wednesday after its Executive Committee meeting. In his eight matches in charge, India won just one – a friendly against Maldives.
“Marquez was a good coach, but ultimately there were no results,” Vijayan told Sportstar. “In any company, results dictate whether someone stays on in the job.”
Marquez replaced Igor Stimac last July and ended up in a dual-coaching role, fulfilling his contract with Indian Super League side FC Goa. At the end of his tenure at Goa, Marquez lost both his matches in June as India’s coach, including a 0-1 defeat at Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifier.
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The Spaniard had an impressive body of work during his time in India since 2020, leading Hyderabad FC to the ISL trophy. He also had a track record of developing young Indian players.
He was also seen as a cost-effective option for the AIFF, which only had to pay his salary during the international breaks. But the dual role meant Marquez didn’t have enough time to work with the national team players.
“It’s difficult to get time in the training ground with the national team due to club commitments. It’s not like how it was during our time,“ admitted Vijayan.
Looking forward, Vijayan said the federation is keen to bring on board a new coach as soon as possible, with Jamshedpur FC’s head coach Khalid Jamil at the top of its list.
“Khalid is a very good coach. He has been successful in India. I hope we can give Indian coaches a chance. What’s the problem in having an Indian coach? An Indian coach will make it easier to communicate with the players, too. We can’t move forward with foreign coaches alone,” he said.
Jamil is the only Indian head coach in the ISL but is contracted with JFC until 2026.
