AIFF to Decide Manolo Marquez's Future on June 29 Amid India’s Poor Performance

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Manolo Marquez's stint as head coach of the Indian football team may soon be nearing an end, with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) set to take a final call on his future later this month.

On Friday, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey confirmed that an Executive Committee meeting will be held on June 29 to address Marquez's role, following a string of disappointing results since he took charge.

Marquez, who succeeded Igor Stimac at the helm, has managed just one win in seven matches so far - a run that has triggered criticism and concern among fans and officials. The team's overall dip in form since the AFC Asian Cup has added to the growing pressure on both Marquez and the AIFF.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Chaubey acknowledged the growing speculation and emphasized the importance of the upcoming meeting.

"Manolo Marquez is a highly rated coach and has a good understanding of Indian football and the players. Over the past 6 years, he has managed multiple Indian clubs and secured multiple trophies. However, in the past few days, I have received several calls on whether the coach will continue or not," Chaubey said. "We have an executive committee meeting on June 29, where we will take a call on that."

Beyond the coaching question, Chaubey also addressed a broader and more persistent issue - India's inability to score goals at the international level.

"It is unrealistic to expect wins without scoring goals," he remarked.

He noted that this offensive struggle has persisted under several head coaches, including Stephen Constantine, Igor Stimac, and now Marquez. The AIFF president highlighted the need to empower Indian attackers in domestic competitions and indicated that changes might be on the horizon.

"One possible measure to address this issue could be to reduce the number of foreign players allowed in the domestic leagues, thereby creating more space for positive Indian strikers," he said.

Chaubey concluded by underlining the importance of collaboration in reshaping the structure of Indian football: "It calls for a collective conversation with all the involved shareholders, in order to implement these changes."