Manolo Marquez first arrived during the difficult epidemic days, and he has spent the last five years in the Indian football environment.
Indian football made headlines not so long ago, but for the wrong reasons. Fans anticipated that under Igor Stimac’s leadership, the squad would make history by qualifying for the FIFA World Cup and advance to the third round. However, India’s qualifying campaign came to an end due to a lackluster performance by our guys, which led to the dismissal of the coach, Stimac. Not challenging by our standards, anyway. The squad faced off against Qatar, the current Asian champions—a formidable foe, to be sure. However, upon closer inspection, we find that Afghanistan and Kuwait were the other two countries included in the same pool as India.
If we look at the recent records, India were favourites to emerge second from the pool, however that was not the case. India endured a tough loss against Afghanistan at home (Guwahati), an unexpected outcome especially against a side struggling to assemble a squad. Then in a do-or-die match against Kuwait, which was also Sunil Chhetri’s final outing in Indian colours, the Blue Tigers were held for a goalless draw at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, popularly known as the Mecca of Indian football.
It was nothing new for Stimac to criticize the All India Football Federation (AIFF) after the departure. However, Manolo Marquez has taken over as our new leader going forward. The Spaniard initially arrived during the difficult pandemic days, and he has spent the last five years in the Indian football environment. After working for FC Goa and Hyderabad FC for five years, Marquez is now responsible for managing both the national team and the Gaurs. In addition, Marquez’s resume highlights his elite club experience from 2017 when he played for Las Palmas in the La Liga.
When Stimac initially arrived in India, he was unfamiliar with the Indian football scene. In his first press conference, held in New Delhi, the Croatian did, however, refer to the nation as “sleeping giants”. Today, a soggy Sunday in New Delhi, is Marquez’s first news conference since taking on the new position. When Moneycontrol asked him about his observations over the years on Indian football, the Spaniard said, “Players can be better and improve faster,” going on to point out the obstacles in their way.
