NEW DELHI, July 20: Spaniard Manolo Marquez, currently coach of Indian Super League club FC Goa, was on Saturday appointed coach of the India men’s national football team, replacing the sacked Igor Stimac.
The executive committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) met here on Saturday and appointed Marquez to the top post.
According to the AIFF, the 55-year-old Marquez will take on the dual role of manager of the national team and the ISL franchise in the 2024-25 season before taking over full-time duties with India.
“The committee has deliberated for the first time on the appointment of the new head coach of the senior men’s national team and has selected Manolo Marquez for the position, effective immediately,” the AIFF said in a statement.
“During the 2024-25 season, Marquez will continue in his role as FC Goa first-team head coach, holding both responsibilities concurrently before assuming the role of national coach on a full-time basis.”
The term of Marquez, who is a UEFA Pro Licence holder, was not disclosed by the AIFF. His first assignment as India’s head coach will be the Tri-Nation tournament in Vietnam in October. Lebanon are the third team.
There have been instances of a national team head coach simultaneously coaching a club in the past. Armando Colaco was the last to do so when he was India’s head coach for a few months in 2011, while also helming the affairs of Goan club Dempo. (PTI)

Stimac was sacked as head coach on June 17 after the Indian team failed to reach the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers despite a relatively easy draw.
Born in Barcelona, ​​Marquez has been coaching in India since 2020. He has managed two ISL clubs so far. His first stint was with Hyderabad FC (2020-23), before moving to FC Goa (2023-present). He led Hyderabad FC to the ISL Cup title in 2021-22. Under him, FC Goa finished third in the ISL league in the last season (2023-24).
Overall, Marquez has had an extensive coaching career in Spain, taking charge of La Liga side Las Palmas in 2017 and has also coached Spanish lower division clubs such as Las Palmas B, Espanyol B, Badalona, ​​​​Prat and Europa.
“It is an honour for me to be the coach of the Indian national football team, a country that I consider my second home. India and its people are something that I feel attached to and have been a part of since I first came to this beautiful country. I want to do my best to bring success to the millions of fans that we have,” said Marquez.
“I am very grateful to FC Goa for giving us the flexibility to help the national team during the upcoming season while I remain the head coach of the club. I am grateful to the AIFF for this opportunity and we hope to do great things for football.”
Before becoming a coach, Marquez played as a defender in many lower Spanish teams, retiring at the age of 28.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said the federation, FC Goa and Marquez himself will work closely together to ensure that the impact between the two jobs – as head coach of the national team and the ISL team – is minimal.
“We are delighted to welcome Mr Marquez in this important role and are also grateful to FC Goa for their generosity in releasing him for national duty. We look forward to working with Mr Marquez in the years to come,” Chaubey said. (PTI)