All India Football Federation, AIFF announced the much-anticipated replacement of Igor Stimac with Monolo Marquez as the senior men’s national head coach for the next three years. FC Goa gaffer, Marqueez was unanimously chosen in the federation's executive committee meeting on Saturday after the termination of Stimac’s contract.
“We are delighted to welcome Mr. Marquez to this important role and are also thankful to FC Goa for their generosity in releasing him for national duty. We look forward to working with Mr. Marquez in the years ahead,” said AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey.
The swap became evident when India failed to enter the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Even with his succession, Marqueez will continue to retain his position as FC Goa coach.
“The AIFF, FC Goa, and Mr. Marquez will collaborate closely to ensure there is minimal impact between the two jobs and strive to achieve the best possible results for all involved,” confirmed Chaubey.
“During the 2024-25 season, Mr. Marquez will continue his role as the head coach of the first team at FC Goa, handling both responsibilities concurrently before assuming the national coaching role full-time," the AIFF statement said.
In a statement responding to his appointment, the 55-year-old considers India its second home said, “It's an honour for me to be the National Football Team coach of India, a country I consider my second home. India and its people are something I feel attached to and I feel a part of since I first came to this beautiful country.”
He added, “I want to do my best to bring success to our millions of fans. I am very grateful to FC Goa for allowing us the flexibility to help the national team during the coming season while I am still the club's head coach. I'm grateful to the AIFF for this opportunity and we hope to do great things for football.”
Marquez, regarded as the best out of the lot in the Indian super league, was selected out of the panel of 20 shortlisted candidates for the position. His command over the Indian ecosystem and his prowess over the game was witnessed when he helped Hyderabad FC win in 2022.
“He played a key role in developing the players many of whom are a part of the national squad,” said the AIFF statement.
Given the financial crunch that the federation is facing there will be some negotiations with the salary of the coach, said Chaubey.
Following this, the position of AIFF’s general secretary has filled by Anilkumar Prabhakaran, secretary of Kerela Football Association which led the acting secretary M. Satyanarayan back on his original position as assistant secretary.
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