Kolkata: Once they lifted him within the air in pouring rain in Bhubaneswar, it felt like FC Goa had been giving Manolo Marquez a becoming farewell. The Indian soccer season had ended with the Kalinga Tremendous Cup closing on Saturday which means the Spaniard now not had the twin accountability of teaching membership and nation.
India soccer head coach Manolo Marquez. (Getty Photographs)
Marquez, 56, is meant to be in command of solely the India senior males’s nationwide workforce from June 1. It isn’t clear for the way lengthy although. His contract with the All India Soccer Federation (AIFF) is until Might 31, 2026, with provision for a one-year extension. However soccer officers usually are not certain he’ll see out the contract.
“I prefer not to speak before the Hong Kong tie,” stated Marquez in a WhatsApp message to HT on Monday. AIFF stated Marquez has not spoken about stepping down.
After FC Goa beat Jamshedpur FC 3-0 within the Tremendous Cup closing, former AIFF secretary-general Shaji Prabhakaran, whereas congratulating the winners on X, ended his submit saying: “Will Manolo sign an extension with FC Goa?”
The query about Marquez’s future with the India workforce gathered momentum after the 0-0 draw towards Bangladesh in Shillong on March 25, officers advised HT. Visibly upset on the post-match media convention, Marquez had described the efficiency as “very, very poor”.
“Let’s say that was the tipping point,” stated an ISL membership official. “I can tell you he is not going to stay,” stated the president of a state affiliation. “He will renew with FC Goa. They have paused their search for a coach,” stated an official with one other state affiliation. Not one of the three needed to be named given the delicate nature of the difficulty.
All of them stated Marquez was not glad. The membership official spoke of a tiff with workforce employees in Shillong over logistics. The state affiliation official, who stated Marquez was not eager on staying, talked about “the stress of phone calls regarding team selection.”
On the press convention following the ultimate in Bhubaneswar, Marquez was requested to touch upon the development in Indian gamers. He stated: “In Spain, in the 1970s and 80s, only Spanish players played in the cup tournament. I would like one cup with only Indian players. I spoke about it but they (AIFF) did completely the opposite.”
At that press convention, Marquez additionally stated FC Goa had been “the best club in India in terms of organisation” and that it had been a “dream to train a team like this”.
Requested about FC Goa enjoying in Asia – they’re eligible for the 2025-26 Asian Champions League qualifier and, if they can’t make the principle spherical, the AFC Problem League – he stated: “Continuity is very, very important…. To destroy this group would be a big mistake.”
Having been a part of the nationwide workforce for practically one 12 months, Marquez has additionally advised folks near him that he most well-liked the each day pleasure that working at a membership gives, stated the membership official.
The officers quoted above stated Marquez might step down this 12 months, perhaps even after the June 10 qualifier towards Hong Kong. There is no such thing as a FIFA window until September and India’s subsequent Asian Cup qualifier after that’s towards Singapore on October 9, so it should give AIFF time to get a substitute, the officers stated talking individually.
“I have not heard anything about this,” AIFF deputy secretary-general Satyanarayan M stated over the cellphone from New Delhi on Monday when requested if Marquez might depart. “We have not had any discussion on this. We are focusing on the June 10th game against Hong Kong and the friendly against Thailand in the lead-up to that match.”
Satyanarayan, who’s in command of the nationwide groups, stated a preparatory camp below Marquez will begin in Kolkata on Might 18.
Requested about Marquez being sad with how issues had been with the nationwide workforce, Satyanarayan stated: “He is supposed to file a report on the camp and the match in Shillong.”
FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur stated: “Marquez has a contract only with the national team from June 1, 2025. And unless that contract is not active, our understanding is that he is not available.” Talking over the cellphone from Goa on Monday, Puskur additionally stated if Marquez was accessible, “only a fool in this country would turn down the chance to have him as coach.”
Marquez’s contract with AIFF is value roughly $407,000 (approx ₹3.7 crore now) however ought to he depart, it might be the second time in his profession that he could be strolling away from a prime job. As Las Palmas head coach in La Liga in 2017-18 changing Quique Setién (then at Actual Betis, he would go on to move Barcelona and Villarreal) Marquez give up after six matches although his contract was for the season. This, when the rule in Spain was that he wouldn’t be allowed to educate within the nation that season.