AIFF to take call on coach Manolo Marquez’s future in EC meeting on June 29: president Kalyan Chaubey

Exploring options: Chaubey says the AIFF is looking at the possibility of OCI players turning out for the country.
| Photo Credit: ANI

It isn’t for the first time that Indian football is embroiled in a state of crisis.

The latest has been triggered by the national men’s team’s 0-1 defeat to Hong Kong, situated 26 places below India in the FIFA rankings, in an Asian Cup qualifying third-round match at Kai Tak Sports Park on Tuesday.

It has severely hampered India’s chances of sealing a berth in the 2027 Asian Cup — it is bottom of Group C after two rounds — and led to uncertainty over the future of head coach Manolo Marquez.

Marquez, who was appointed as coach last July, has notched up just one win in eight matches in his tenure. Having been FC Goa manager at the time of his appointment by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), he continued donning both roles till May 31.

While his contract as India coach runs till May 2026, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said in a press conference on Friday that a decision will be taken on the Spaniard in an Executive Committee (EC) meeting on June 29.

“I have received several calls about whether the chief coach will continue or not. We have an Executive Committee meeting on June 29. We will discuss this matter internally with the committee members and will also take the opinion of the members of the AIFF technical committee,” Chaubey told the media.

With the national team’s performances continuing to plummet, Chaubey said that the AIFF is exploring the possibility of Indian-origin players who hold Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards turning out for the country.

“The AIFF has proactively initiated communication with the relevant departments of various ministries of the Indian government regarding OCI players. And I must say the initial response has been encouraging. We are in communication with 33 players who fall into the category of OCI. Some of them have got OCI cards and some of them are in the process of applying. We are assisting them in this process,” he said.