Marquez was a good coach, but in the end there was no result: Im Vijayan

All India Football Federation (AIFF) Director of Technical Committee IM Vijayan said that bad results were the federation known with Manolo Marquez.

After a failed year in the head coaching role, Marquez was illuminated from his duties as the head coach of the Men team by the AIFF on Wednesday after the meeting of the Executive Committee. In his eight managerial matches, India won only one – a friendly against the Maldives.

«Marquez was a good coach, but in the end there was no result,» Vijayan said Sports star. «In every company the results dictate whether someone stays in the job.»

Marquez replaced Igor Stimac last July and ended up in a role with double coaching, with which he fulfilled his contract with the Indian Super League side FC Goa. At the end of his term of office in Goa, Marquez lost both games in June as a coach of India, including a 0-1 defeat in Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualification match.

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The Spaniard had an impressive work during its time in India since 2020, which led Hyderabad FC to the ISL trophy. He also had a track record of developing young Indian players.

He was also seen as a cost -effective option for the AIFF, who only had to pay his salary during the international breaks. But the dual role meant that Marquez did not have enough time to work with the National Team players.

«It’s hard to get time on the training field at the national team because of club obligations. It is not as it was how it was during our time,» Vijayan admitted.

Looking ahead, Vijayan said that the federation would like to bring a new coach on board as quickly as possible, with the head coach Khalid Jamil from Jamshedpur FC at the top of the list.

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«Khalid is a very good coach. He has been successful in India. I hope we can give Indian coaches a chance. What is the problem in having an Indian coach? An Indian coach will also make it easier to communicate with the players. We can’t continue with foreign coaches,» he said.

Jamil is the only Indian head coach in the ISL, but is contracted with JFC until 2026.