India starts hunt for new coach as Manolo quits after mutual agreement with AIFF

Manolo Marquez, who did a dual job last season, also coaching FC Goa, took charge of the national team in July last year

Panaji: Manolo Marquez’s tenure as coach of the national football team ended after just eight games as the Spanish coach and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) mutually decided to part ways.The decision was endorsed during the AIFF executive committee meeting in the Capital on Wednesday.Under Manolo’s watch, India won just one international friendly against Maldives, while losing both games – Thailand and Hong Kong – as full-time coach since last month. The coach had two years left on his existing contract.“We are parting ways without any financial implication to either of the two parties,” AIFF deputy secretary general Satyanarayan M told TOI. “We will now advertise for a new national team coach, inviting applications from those interested in the job.”When AIFF followed a similar process last year following the sacking of Igor Stimac, it received 291 applications, which included 100 with UEFA Pro License diplomas, 20 with Asia’s highest coaching degree and three with from South America.Facing a cash crunch, the AIFF eventually decided to rope in Manolo as coach of club-and-country.Some members, including those in the technical committee, are now in favour of an Indian as coach with Khalid Jamil and Sanjoy Sen among the two names on top of that list. Sources though said no decision has been if the next coach will be an Indian or foreigner.“We will need someone with experience of Indian football,” said one member who attended the meeting. “It’s never easy for a foreign coach to understand the country, its culture and the mindset. He will need at least six months (to settle down), and by that time the crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying campaign would have been decided.”India are at the bottom of the four-team group with just a point from the first two games. Only the group winners qualify for the continental showpiece in Saudi Arabia.Manolo, who did a dual job last season, also coaching FC Goa , took charge of the national team in July last year. But while expectations were high, given his stint with FC Goa and Hyderabad FC, where he won the ISL trophy and developed several players, his record as national team coach left a lot to be desired.His eight games in-charge includes one win, four draws and three losses, two of them last month as India’s full-time coach.This is the second time that Manolo has walked away from a top job. In 2017, as coach of Las Palmas in the La Liga, the Spaniard quit after just six matches though his contract was till the end of the season.“It was a nice experience, a short one, but I realized that this was not the correct moment to be there,” Manolo had told TOI during a Townhall early this year. “The dressing room was very dangerous. Now, since it’s been some years, I can laugh about this but in those moments, I could not sleep.”Manolo has not yet spoken why he was reluctant to continue with the national team.Meanwhile, the executive committee proposed to increase match time for Indian players, particularly strikers, by reducing the number of foreign players in both leagues. “In addition, a feasibility study will be conducted to explore the possibility of fielding an under-23 national team probables in the I-League, as part of long-term preparations for the Asian Games,” the AIFF said in a statement.

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