"He was not wrong" - Hyderabad FC owner responds to Manolo Marquez's claims

Hyderabad FC owner Varun Tripuraneni emphatically responded to claims made by former manager Manolo Marquez that the club was going through a financial crisis in the last few months of the 2022/23 season.

Marquez recently stated that he and his players found it extremely difficult to carry on given that their salaries had been delayed on a lot of occasions.

"(Last season was) very, very difficult," Marquez told TOI. "There was more merit (in last season's performances) than when we were ISL champions. When you are playing, and not receiving salaries, and the team continues winning, it's very difficult."

Reacting to Manolo Marquez's comments, Varun Tripuraneni asserted that the former coach was not far from the mark when he said that the club was going through a financial crisis.

In a post shared on Twitter, Tripuraneni wrote:

"There's not much wrong in what Manolo said. We had (a) tough few months, but credit to the amazing set of players, coaches, aand support staff that we had at HFC. With another group, maybe it would not not have been possible."

Varun Tripuraneni

@tvaroon

twitter.com/marcusmergulha…

Marcus Mergulhao

@MarcusMergulhao

“There was more merit (in last season’s performances) than when we were champions. When you are playing, not receiving salaries, and team continues winning, it’s very difficult."

-- Manolo Marquez, former Hyderabad FC coach opens up on his 3-year stint

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/hyder…

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“There was more merit (in last season’s performances) than when we were champions. When you are playing, not receiving salaries, and team continues winning, it’s very difficult."

-- Manolo Marquez, former Hyderabad FC coach opens up on his 3-year stint

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/hyder…

twitter.com/marcusmergulha… https://t.co/ytdulqvSvg

Tripuraneni further praised the club's never-say-die spirit, which its supporters know comes from the spirit of the city it represents.

"The club's DNA is to fight till the very end and we will continue to do so, on and off the pitch," he added.

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"It's been a tough ride for us, but the future of football is bright in Hyderabad" - Varun Tripuraneni

In what must have been a nerve-racking move, Varun Tripuraneni did not hold back in admitting that the club has had a tough time financially ever since its inception in 2019. Having said that, he gave full credit to the group of players, coaches and support staff at the club for making sure that they did not walk away or betray them.

"The players who continue to be (a) part of the club and the players who are working with us on extending for long term despite the challenges in the past, shows the amount of trust they have in Hyderabad FC, the club owner wrote.

In what will be music to the ears of the Hyderabad FC supporters based at the Maidaan in Gachibowli, Tripuraneni concluded by saying that things are looking much better now on the financial front.

"It's been a tough ride for us since taking over, but we've not backed down and never will. The future is bright for football in Hyderabad," Tripuraneni concluded.

One can only hope that the club, which won the ISL trophy in the 2021-22 season, will not be hampered by financial issues any more.

Having such off-field distractions taken care of, Hyderabad FC can focus on rebuilding their squad for the upcoming season. They have already signed left-back Vignesh Dakshinamurthy and center-forward Jonathan Moya. Having received the owner's vocal support as well, the future indeed looks bright for Hyderabad FC.

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