Indian football could have avoided crisis, everyone knew about the situation in March: Manolo Marquez

Panaji: FC Goa are the only side with something to play for this season.

While many clubs started and ended their season so far with three games in the Super Cup, Goa have been fortunate enough to compete in continental championships. Manolo Marquez’s side featured in the AFC Champions League Two, after winning the playoff at home, but as the concluding group-stage clash draws near, there’s fear all around.


You can sense it before, during, and after training sessions at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. Just days before the clash against FC Istiklol (Tajikistan), the question on everyone’s mind remains: will this be the last this season?

Manolo doesn’t have an answer to that. He’s tried asking senior club officials but there are no guarantees. Without a commercial partner on board, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been unable to kickstart the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL), and even though there are claims that the “league will happen”, nobody can tell when, and how.

“All these things are giving Indian football a bad name (globally),” Manolo told TOI, referring to recent reports in Spain which has six coaches and maximum foreign players in the ISL. “I spoke about this after the Super Cup final; this is one situation that Indian football could have avoided because everyone knew that this situation would happen, in March-April (towards the end of last season), but nobody did anything. When you have the wrong people in wrong positions, these things can happen.”

The “situation” needs no reminding. AIFF’s 15-year agreement with its marketing partners, Reliance-subsidiary FSDL, was to end in December 2025 and everyone knew the parties were nowhere close to an agreement. The federation tried to onboard a new partner by floating a tender for the top league’s commercial rights in November but found no takers, largely due to clauses in the new constitution.

Now, things have come to a standstill.

Manolo returns home immediately after the clash against Istiklol on Wednesday. With the match concluding closer to midnight and a flight to catch early morning, the former national team coach isn’t sure if he would be able to say goodbye to the team.

“It’s bad with other teams. At least we know that we have one game on December 24, but the other teams, most of them, are at home; some clubs are training, others have stopped. We don’t have an option but to wait. We check (about the situation) everyday. I fear that foreign players will now start leaving India,” said Manolo.

Manolo will leave India to be at home for Christmas. Will he return?

“I don't know,” said the coach who has won two Super Cups for Goa and took the team to Asia for two seasons in a row. “My intention is to be here, I'm very happy here. I'm very proud to be the coach of this club. This club gave me a lot, but one day, like my former club, Hyderabad FC, and previously in Spain, you need to leave and start another chapter in your professional life. But I would really like to be with FC Goa.”

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