Tag: NationalTeam

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has agreed to pay two years’ salary to Manolo Marquez if he is sacked for poor performance before May 31, 2026. This is a significant departure from the previous contract with Igor Stimac, which did not include a termination clause favorable to AIFF.

Marquez, who was appointed as the senior national team head coach from August 1, 2024 to May 31, 2026, will receive a total salary of $407,000 (approximately ₹3.4 crore) during his tenure. The AIFF will be obligated to pay the remaining balance if Marquez is removed before May 2026 for reasons other than misconduct or material breach of contract.

This clause was requested by Marquez, who was leaving a secure position at FC Goa to take up the role with the national team. The AIFF agreed to this request as a safeguard for Marquez, who is leaving a guaranteed contract with FC Goa.

The terms of Marquez’s contract are similar to those of Stimac’s contracts after October 2022. However, Stimac’s previous contracts included a clause that required AIFF to pay his salary for three months as compensation if he was removed. This clause was removed when Stimac’s contract was renewed in 2022 and was not included in the extension he signed in October 2023.

Stimac, who was sacked last June after India failed to make the third round of World Cup qualification, has filed a complaint with FIFA seeking compensation for the rest of his contract till June 2026. AIFF had argued that Stimac’s contract should have included a termination clause favorable to AIFF.

“There is a difference in the two cases,” said Satyanarayan Muthyalu, then acting secretary-general of AIFF. “In Manolo’s case, he had a contract with a club (FC Goa) for two years which he is leaving so that is a minimum safeguard that any coach will ask for.”

Marquez’s first assignment with the national team will be the Intercontinental Cup, which begins in Hyderabad on Tuesday. India will play Mauritius and Syria in the tournament.