Indian Football Team’s Coaching Role Draws Global Attention

Manolo Marquez resigned as head coach of the Indian men’s football team earlier this month, and Robbie Fowler, a former striker for Liverpool, and Stephen Constantine, a former coach, have applied for the role. Indian football is going through a radical change. In response to AIFF’s earlier this month ad seeking a replacement for Marquez, 170 applicants, including Constantine and Fowler, had responded.

Global attention

Although the AIFF hasn’t formally disclosed the list of applications, insiders confirm that Fowler and Kewell are both well-known candidates looking to lead the Blue Tigers, according to recent reports. International experience and high-profile appeal are brought by Kewell, who has led multiple clubs in the lower divisions of English football, and Fowler, who has held managerial positions with East Bengal and Brisbane Roar. A number of seasoned strategists are also in the running, such as Jordi Vinyals, who led Barcelona B and more recently Zhejiang Professional in China, and Caio Zanardie, the former coach of Brazil U-17. 

Stephen Constantine, the former India coach who has coached the national side for the longest period of time (73 games), is also on the list. Former Maldivian and Tajikistan manager Peter Segrt, who has a wealth of Asian football experience, joins him. Spanish tactics from the Indian Super League, Antonio Lopez Habas and Sergio Lobera, both of whom won league titles, have also expressed interest. Their in-depth knowledge of Indian football might work to their advantage.

Any national coaches?

Santosh Kashyap, Sanjoy Sen, and Khalid Jamil are some of the leading Indian candidates on the home front.  Each of the three is regarded as a respected figure in the national setup and has coached at the top levels of Indian football. The federation is eager to select a coach who can boost the chances of the national squad as the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers approach.

Long before, Manolo Marquez wanted to retire.

The Spaniard, who was coaching two teams (FC Goa being the other), had expressed a long-standing desire to resign as head coach of India, according to a PTI report. According to the report, Marquez had already told the AIFF of his choice prior to India’s game against Hong Kong. He need an arrangement with the AIFF, therefore he could not be released from his responsibilities.

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