Manolo Marquez India coach

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey broke his silence on Thursday, June 13, as mounting pressure and widespread criticism surrounded the national men’s football team following a string of dismal results. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Chaubey outlined the roadmap ahead — one that includes crucial decisions on coaching, player development, and India’s international ambitions. At the heart of the matter lies the uncertain future of India head coach Manolo Marquez, who has faced increasing scrutiny since taking over from Igor Stimac last year. The Spaniard has just one win in eight matches — a friendly victory over Maldives — and has failed to deliver in competitive fixtures, including a frustrating goalless draw with Bangladesh and a 0-1 defeat to Hong Kong. “Manolo is a highly rated coach with a solid understanding of Indian football and its players…However, in the last few days, we’ve received several calls questioning whether he should continue. A decision will be taken during the Executive Committee meeting. But let me say this — it is unrealistic to expect wins without scoring goals,” Chaubey said, confirming that a final call on Marquez’s future will be taken at the AIFF Executive Committee meeting on June 29. Striker shortage under the spotlight Much of India’s ongoing struggles boil down to a glaring lack of firepower upfront — a concern Chaubey directly acknowledged. The federation is now actively looking to identify new attacking talent from within the U-23 ranks to address the problem at its roots. “Our main area of focus is the lack of goal scoring and the shortage of strikers. Anyone in Indian football will agree that is our major problem. One possible measure could be to allow less foreigners and thus give more space to Indian strikers,” he explained. The AIFF president also clarified that while he cannot unilaterally impose changes on the domestic league, he would welcome any move that gives Indian forwards more playing time. “I cannot say anything about reducing the number of foreigners in the domestic league; it is the stakeholders’ decision, but in the interest of the national team, if they decide to give more time to Indian positive strikers, I will be happy to accommodate.” India’s failure to find a natural successor to Sunil Chhetri was thrown into sharp focus recently when the legendary striker came out of international retirement, only to be benched in a must-win game against Hong Kong. The decision backfired as India failed to create any real goal threat. To address this, Chaubey revealed an ambitious plan to bring in a world-class mentor. “We are trying to get a World Cup-winning striker to come and help us. We trying to identify 4-5 good strikers from the U-23 and train under him for some days, like practice their shooting skills and hone their goal-scoring instincts,” he said. India’s continental dreams stay alive Despite the chaos surrounding the national team, the AIFF remains committed to its long-term plans for growth on the international stage. Chaubey confirmed that India will bid to host major tournaments in the coming decade. “While the country is bidding for the 2036 Olympics, we are also trying for the 2031 AFC Asian Cup.” Personal feud with Bhaichung Bhutia Amid the broader discussion about Indian football’s struggles, a long-standing personal rivalry also came back into focus. Kalyan Chaubey took the opportunity during the press conference to respond to scathing remarks made earlier by former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia. Bhutia had accused the AIFF and its president of failing Indian football and “destroying the sport,” citing mismanagement, lack of structure, and poor results as proof of systemic failure. His comments added fuel to an already tense atmosphere surrounding the national team’s direction. “He (Bhaichung Bhutia) takes several crores of rupees as advisor from academies but never visits them. These academies are performing poorly in tournaments,” Chaubey said. Chaubey, however, didn’t hold back in his rebuttal. He directly accused Bhutia of failing in his own commitments as an advisor to football academies and questioned the credibility of his criticisms. “Bhaichung Bhutia has been a paid advisor to AIFF and has taken all benefits. His team Bhutia Academy lost 31-0 to Minerva Academy in March. He is playing with aspirations of children and parents” he added. The bad blood between the two dates back to the 2022 AIFF presidential election, where Chaubey defeated Bhutia by a huge margin. Their ongoing rivalry now mirrors the turbulence within Indian football itself — fractured, under pressure, and searching for a way forward. India keep OCI doors open In a significant development, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey shared that the federation is in active talks with various government departments to enable Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to play for the national team. He revealed that preliminary conversations with relevant ministries have been positive, and the AIFF is already engaging with a pool of players who could potentially bolster the national squad in the future. “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,” Chaubey added. As the June 29 verdict on Marquez looms, the spotlight is firmly on Chaubey’s administration to deliver not just a coaching decision, but a sense of direction for the men’s national team. Published By: Debodinna Chakraborty Published On: Jun 13, 2025