Manolo Marquez appointed coach of India men’s national football team: AIFF

The Indian Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday announced the appointment of Spaniard Manolo Marquez as coach of the Indian men’s national football team. Márquez is currently the head coach of Indian Super League (ISL) team FC Goa. Commenting on the development, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said, “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Márquez in this important role and are also grateful to FC Goa for their generosity in releasing him for national duties. We look forward to working with Mr. Márquez in the coming years. The AIFF, FC Goa and Mr. Marquez will collaborate closely to ensure there is minimal impact between the two works and will strive to achieve the best possible results for everyone involved.”

“During the 2024-25 season, Mr. Márquez will continue his role as head coach of the FC Goa first team, taking on both responsibilities simultaneously before assuming the role of full-time national coach,” the AIFF statement said.

Responding to the appointment, Marquez said, “It is an honor for me to be the coach of the India National Football Team, a country I consider my second home. India and its people are something I feel attached to and feel a part of Since I 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 upcoming season while I am still a member. of the club. I am grateful to the AIFF for this opportunity and we hope to do great things for football.”

At 55 years old, Manolo Marquez has extensive knowledge and experience in Indian football and in training national team players, especially young players. Many national team players in recent years have been called up from their Hyderabad FC squad.

Márquez has been training in India since 2020. He has managed two ISL clubs – his first spell was with Hyderabad FC (2020-23), before switching to FC Goa (2023-present). He is the ISL Cup winner with Hyderabad FC in 2021-22. Overall, Márquez had an extensive coaching career in Spain – Las Palmas (first division) and Las Palmas B, Espanyol B, Badalona, ​​Prat, Europa (third division).