BREAKING: Manolo Marquez set to be the next head coach of the Indian football team

Ending weeks of speculation, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is all set to appoint former Hyderabad FC and current FC Goa manager Manolo Marquez as the head coach of the Indian national team, as per reports.

Marquez is expected to coach both FC Goa and the Indian national team, which is an oddity as most head coaches across the world tend to focus on one assignment at a time. This is, we suspect, meant to ease the wage burden on the AIFF.

It is also reported that Marquez won the race after being considered alongside compatriot Antonio Lopes Habas and former Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen, and will sign a three-year contract.

Sportskeeda has learnt that Marquez will be given the option of coaching the Gaurs for the upcoming season only, after which he will take over as a full-time head coach of the Blue Tigers.

Antonio Lopes Habas and Sanjoy Sen were considered for the role

Marquez takes over from Igor Stimac, who was sacked by the AIFF for failing to lead India into Round 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers earlier this year and will have big shoes to fill.

The 55-year-old, however, has tasted a lot of success in India, having won the ISL Cup with Hyderabad FC in 2021-22, and leading them into the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.

He turned the fortunes of his present club FC Goa around by leading them to the third position in the Indian Super League last season as well as the semi-finals of the ISL Cup, which they lost to eventual winners Mumbai City FC.

The AIFF reportedly looked into the resumes of Mohun Bagan legends Antonio Lopes Habas and Sanjoy Sen, Habas' age-related ailments and Sen's absence from full-time coaching in the last two seasons tilted the scales in Marquez's favor.

The straight-talking Marquez will be expected to tackle the issues plaguing the Indian national team head-on and try to guide the Blue Tigers towards the success that they have often promised but failed to deliver.

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