Former Indian Football Team Head Coach Manolo Marquez Drops Bombshell: 'I Resigned In April But...'

Indian Football has failed to scale the heights for the last few years and has been in the doldrums. Manolo Marquez's underwhelming tenure came to an end as AIFF and the Spanish coach reached a mutual agreement over his departure.

Former Indian Football Team Manager Manolo Marquez Reveals Shocking Insights

The clock had long been ticking for the FC Goa manager, who was appointed after AIFF relieved Igor Stimac of his duties. But it turned out to be a complete mess as India only managed a single win, which came against the Maldives in an international friendly. The defeat against Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers proved to be the final nail in the coffin as AIFF pulled the plug and brought an end to Manolo's disastrous stint.\

Now the former Las Palmas manager revealed that he resigned in April, but AIFF urged him to stay back till the June transfer window. As quoted by the Marca, he said,  “I resigned in April, but they asked me to take the June transfer window.”

Manolo further revealed that the poor performance of the Indian Football Team wasn't the reason behind his resignation. “I didn't want to leave because of the poor results. In fact, they tried to convince me to stay for a month.”

Manolo Marquez Underlined India's Reason For Loss To Hong Kong

India needed to win against Thailand to stay in the hunt for a spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2026. But the FC Goa head coach insisted the players were aware of his departure three days before the game, and therefore, it was hard to inspire the footballers.

He further added, "Three days before the match against Hong Kong, all the players knew it would be my last game with the national team."

Also Read: Manolo Marquez Steps Down As Indian Football Team Head Coach After Mutual Agreement With AIFF

India's hopes of making it to the AFC Asian Cup took a drastic hit with a 1-0 loss to Hong Kong. Stefan Pereira scored a 95-minute penalty to inflict a shocking defeat on the Blue Tigers. They are now 4th placed in Group C and have four remaining games in the qualifying campaign. They will host Singapore and Hong Kong, while they also travel to Singapore and Bangladesh. To have any chance, they cannot afford to suffer any more hiccups and will also have to rely on other outcomes.

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