It isn’t for the primary time that Indian soccer is embroiled in a state of disaster.
The newest has been triggered by the nationwide males’s workforce’s 0-1 defeat to Hong Kong, located 26 locations under India in the FIFA rankings, in an Asian Cup qualifying third-round match at Kai Tak Sports Park on Tuesday.
It has severely hampered India’s possibilities of sealing a berth in the 2027 Asian Cup — it’s backside of Group C after two rounds — and led to uncertainty over the future of head coach Manolo Marquez.
Marquez, who was appointed as coach final July, has notched up only one win in eight matches in his tenure. Having been FC Goa supervisor on the time of his appointment by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), he continued donning each roles until May 31.
While his contract as India coach runs until May 2026, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey mentioned in a press convention on Friday {that a} resolution will probably be taken on the Spaniard in an Executive Committee (EC) meeting on June 29.
“I have received several calls about whether the chief coach will continue or not. We have an Executive Committee meeting on June 29. We will discuss this matter internally with the committee members and will also take the opinion of the members of the AIFF technical committee,” Chaubey informed the media.
With the nationwide workforce’s performances persevering with to plummet, Chaubey mentioned that the AIFF is exploring the potential of Indian-origin gamers who maintain Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) playing cards turning out for the nation.
“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,” he mentioned.
Published – June 13, 2025 07:39 pm IST
