 "'They asked me to...': Manolo Marquez makes big revelation after stepping down as India's head coach")
Former India men’s football team coach Manolo Marquez has finally opened up about his sudden departure. Marquez has revealed that he had actually resigned months before the All India Football Federation (AIFF) officially announced his departure.
Manolo Marquez on his resignation as head coach
Speaking to Spanish outlet MARCA, the 56-year-old Spaniard said he stepped down in April, but the Indian federation requested him to stay until the June transfer window.
“I resigned in April, but they asked me to take the June transfer window. I didn’t want to leave because of the poor results. In fact, they tried to convince me to stay for a month. It seems they’ve now accepted my initial decision,” Marquez was quoted as saying in his latest interview.
Also Read: AIFF begins hunt for new India men's football team head coach after parting ways with Manolo Marquez
Marquez had first came to India as Hyderabad FC’s head coach in 2020 and led the club to the Indian Super League (ISL) title in 2022. In June 2024, he replaced Igor Stimac as the national team boss. However, his stint with the Blue Tigers didn’t bring much success as they failed to win any major matches.
India lost the Intercontinental Cup, drew four games and lost three matches, and managed only one win under his watch, which was a 3-0 friendly victory against the Maldives. Marquez said that if the results of the Indian team had improved, he would probably still be the coach.
“Coaching the Indian national team was the dream of my life, but when you see that all the teams don’t play by the same rules, you feel like this isn’t the place for you. I recognise that I’ve done things wrong, but if the results had improved, I would probably still be in the position,” Marquez said.
He also shared that the players were informed of his exit before the team’s final game under him against Hong Kong. India lost the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers match to Hong Kong China 0-1 after the home side converted a penalty in the second-half extra time.
“Three days before the match against Hong Kong, all the players knew it would be my last game with the national team. It’s not easy for a player who arrives for three weeks to be in a team where you know the coach is going to leave,” Marquez added.
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