AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey breaks silence on Manolo Marquez's future as India head coach, reveals date for final decision
India's recent 0-1 defeat to Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifiers has put Marquez and the AIFF under the scanner.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) chief Kalyan Chaubey stated that the board will make the final decision on India head coach Manolo Marquez's future with the team on June 29. Manolo Marquez, who assumed coaching duties last year after Igor Stimac’s departure, has fallen short of making an impact, with results deteriorating further under his guidance.
The AIFF took a gamble on Marquez by appointing him as a dual-role coach while continuing at FC Goa in the ISL. Things have yet to improve for the Blue Tigers, forcing them to recall Sunil Chhetri from retirement in search of a turnaround, but even that move hasn’t delivered the desired results.
The recent 0-1 defeat to Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifiers has put Marquez and the AIFF under the scanner as India's performance received flak from all over the country.
AIFF chief Chaubey addressed Marquez's future in a press conference on Friday. He stated that the decision on the head coach will be made in an executive committee meeting on June 29.
“Manolo Marquez is a highly rated coach and has a good understanding of Indian football and the players. However, in the past few days, I have received several calls on whether the coach will continue or not. We have an executive committee meeting on June 29, where we will take a call on that. However,it is unrealistic to expect wins without scoring first,” said Chaubey in the press conference.
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Marquez has been unable to halt the team’s alarming downturn, with India's record reading just a solitary win in its last eight games under his leadership. Speculation is growing that the Spanish coach is reluctant to continue in the role, fueling uncertainty about his future with the national side.
The team had undergone nearly a three-week training camp in Kolkata in preparation for Tuesday’s crucial showdown, but fell well short of expectations, suffering a disheartening defeat to a side ranked significantly lower — Hong Kong, placed 153rd in FIFA’s standings, defeated India, which stands at 127th — delivering a major blow to their confidence. This latest reverse is expected to further undermine India's position in the world rankings, with projections suggesting a drop to 133 when the updated list is released.
