Explained: Why Manolo Marquez wants to leave Indian football team head coach role

Manolo Marquez is reportedly planning to quit as the Indian football team head coach after the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier 2027 match against Hong Kong on 10 June. The 56-year-old Spaniard was appointed the Blue Tigers’ coach, replacing Igor Stimac, in July 2024, but it seems Manolo has already had enough and wants to remain as a club coach.

His one-year tenure as the Indian football team coach has coincided with his role as FC Goa coach in the Indian Super League (ISL). His assignment with FC Goa ended in this very month as they won the Super Cup. Manolo’s contract at FC Goa ends on 31 May, but the club has not announced a replacement yet.

And they may not in the future as well because it has been reported that Monolo is unhappy with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and his role as the Indian football team coach and may opt to walk out of his contract and keep his job at Goa.

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Manolo Marquez wants to quit Indian football team role

Monolo would definitely coach India during the international friendly against Thailand on 4 June and in the Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Hong Kong, as he has already submitted the list of probables to AIFF and is preparing for the national camp in Kolkata. However, there are concerns that he may not continue after the 10 June Hong Kong match.

Two reasons have been floated in the media about Manolo’s possible resignation. The Times of India has reported that Monolo is not happy with the international role as it involves “too many disruptions” and there’s a lack of continuity and everyday activity, which is not the case at club level.

“Manolo has found it challenging to fully settle into the international role,” a source told TOI on Monday. “There are too many disruptions, from last-minute changes in plans to difficulty of building continuity with players who return to club duty. There are issues off-the-field too. All this has made the international job feel more fragmented than fulfilling.”

“As of today, no final decision has been made. He is preparing for the Hong Kong qualifier, which will be crucial to India’s chances of qualification for the Asian Cup. Beyond the match in June, we don’t really know what will happen.”

The Telegraph has reported that Manolo is unhappy with the “state of affairs” at the AIFF and wants to end his contract. If that happens, it will be the first time in recent years that an Indian coach has cancelled his contract.

The AIFF has refuted the rumours and said that everything is hunky-dory with Manolo.

“I spoke to him yesterday (Sunday). He never gave any indication that he was upset with anything. We discussed about the national camp before the June matches,” M Satyanarayan, the AIFF deputy secretary general told The Telegraph on Monday.

It’s no secret that Manolo has had a tough time while taking over as the Indian football team coach. His only victory in six matches so far came against the Maldives in March 2025 and India were lucky not to lose against Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier match at Shillong in the same month.

After the game, Manolo also questioned the quality of Indian football, expressing his frustration in open.

Khalid Jamil to replace manolo at Indian football team?

In case he leaves, AIFF will be required to search for a new coach, however, they will have some time, as India’s next assignment after June is in October 2025.

Jamshedpur FC’s coach, Khalid Jamil, could be a replacement as he has consistently done well in the ISL. He took Jamshedpur to the Super Cup final earlier this month and the Red Miners also reached the ISL semi-finals.

There are reports that he has been approached by AIFF to take over as Under-23 coach ahead of the AFC U23 qualifiers.  It could lead to a senior team job in the future.