New Delhi [India], July 2 : The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Technical Committee (TC), chaired by former India captain IM Vijayan, on Tuesday recommended to the Executive Committee that a new head coach be appointed for the Senior Men's National Team through an open application process.
The members collectively decided on the mutual termination of Head Coach Manolo Marquez's contract. A new advertisement will be floated, inviting applications for the post.
The Executive Committee, chaired by AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, met on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, with TC Deputy Chairpersons Shabbir Ali and Harjinder Singh, and members Tababi Devi and Climax Lawrence.
Also present were the AIFF President's Advisors Armando Colaco and Bimal Ghosh, Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha, Director of National Teams Subrata Paul, and members of the Executive Committee, as per an AIFF press release.
Marquez was appointed as the head coach of the Indian side almost an year back and since then, out of eight games, India has won just won one game back in March against Maldives. His last match, for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualification in June, ended in a 0-1 loss to Hong Kong.
It was also discussed and proposed by the Executive Committee, in consultation with the TC, to increase match time for Indian players, particularly strikers, by reducing the number of foreign players in both leagues. In addition, a feasibility study will be conducted to explore the possibility of fielding U23 national team probables in the I-League, as part of long-term preparations for the Asian Games.
The house further agreed on the practicality of implementing these changes in consultation with club owners and the league management, to ensure decisions are taken in the best interest of the national team. The Committee further congratulated the Senior India Women's National Team on their 5-0 victory against Iraq in their AFC Women's Asian Cup Group B qualification match.
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