Manolo Marquez To Continue As FC Goa Head Coach For 2025-26 Season
Manolo Marquez will stay as FC Goa head coach for the 2025-26 season. Since joining in 2023, he has led the team to success and aims to advance in Indian and Asian football.
FC Goa announced that Manolo Marquez will remain as head coach for the 2025-26 season. After guiding the Gaurs through two successful campaigns, the Spanish tactician will stay on for a third season.
'I am very satisfied to join FC Goa for a third season. I was very happy during the previous two seasons, where the team showed consistent improvement each year. The level of organisation that the club operates with is not commonly observed in Indian club football, making FC Goa a very special club," Manolo Marquez said when speaking of his return to Goa. 'It was clear for me that if I were to continue in India, it had to be with FC Goa," he added.
Marquez, who initially signed for the club in 2023 on a two-year deal, has become the longest-serving head coach of the Gaurs, with a campaign spanning 62 matches across all competitions. He begins his third season with ambitions to not only advance the club in Indian football but also in Asian football, following the victory in the Super Sup last season. His first assignment will be leading the club in the preliminary stage of the AFC Champions League 2, against the Omani Professional League team, Al-Seeb Club, at Fatorda on 13th August.
Regarding Marquez's extension, FC Goa's CEO, Ravi Puskur, said, 'When the opportunity arose to bring Manolo back, it was one of the most straightforward decisions we've had to make at the club. Over the past two seasons, he has not only delivered results but done so with a clear identity and a deep commitment to improving the group as a whole."
Leading FC Goa to two consecutive semi-final appearances in the ISL, Marquez's record includes four consecutive playoff appearances in top-tier Indian Football, reflecting his tactical brilliance. He has a unique ability to identify young talent and develop players into valuable assets for the club, bringing to the forefront players who have since gained significant acclaim in Indian football.
Puskur added, 'Manolo's ability to bring out the best in players — individually and collectively — along with his sincerity, work ethic, and clarity of purpose, align perfectly with the values we hold at FC Goa. In an environment where continuity and consistency are often hard to come by, Manolo represents both.
'His desire to win matches the right way, while developing talent and instilling belief in the squad, made this decision an easy one. We are delighted to welcome him back and look forward to building on the strong foundation he helped lay." he further remarked on Marquez distinctly paving the path for a winning philosophy at the club.
Marquez remains steadfast despite the challenge of certain key players exiting the club. 'I hope that in the next season the team will again be very competitive. We have almost twenty players continuing with us from the previous season, a rare number in the current footballing world. The new faces will of course have certain adjustments to make as we cannot change what worked for us. The hope always remains that we will fight well and that the crowd will be proud of this team," he said.
What Will Be Manolo Marquez'S First Game Back As FC Goa Boss?
Currently, Marquez is focused on the opportunity for the club to excel on the international stage, stating, 'It is obviously not a usual pre-season for us. Generally, you get about six to eight weeks of training before you arrive at the first ISL game in good conditions, having played multiple domestic competitions already. We are in a special situation, but a great one for us at the club where we also have the AFC match to look forward to. It will be a difficult game against Al-Seeb, but we are of course ready to play against them and the target will be to be there with our best foot forward."
top videos
View all
Joining Marquez in his coaching staff this year are two new members — Spaniards Marc Gamon as the Goalkeeping coach, and David Ramos as the Strength & Conditioning coach — following the departure of Asier Ray Santin and Jose Carlos Barroso. Gamon completed a two-year stint with Belgian club KMSK Deinze and reunited with Marquez last year. For the 2024-25 season, Gamon was Marquez's goalkeeping coach for the Blue Tigers. They previously worked together at Hyderabad FC in the 2020-21 season. Ramos, new to Indian football, brings experience from coaching clubs in Spain and China. The rest of his coaching staff, including Assistant Coaches Benito Montalvo and Gouramangi Singh Moirangthem, continue their roles at the club.
In a state where football is cherished, Coach Marquez has built a deep sense of trust within the Goan community. Marquez appreciates the relationship the fans share with FC Goa and credits them with being a motivational factor behind some significant wins for the Men in Orange. My connection with the fans has gotten better every season. The fans have been loyal even when the team went through some hard times. Their support towards the club is very big for us, and we would hope for it to continue this year for all our games." he said.
About the Author
Ritayan Basu
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...Read More
News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!
tags :
fc goa indian football Manolo Marquez
view comments
Location :
Goa, India, India
First Published:
July 18, 2025, 18:03 IST
News sports » football Manolo Marquez To Continue As FC Goa Head Coach For 2025-26 Season
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
China Welcomes India's Visa Restart, Calls It Positive Step Toward Better People-To-People Ties
'No More Indian Workers, Or China Factories': Trump's Blunt Warning To US Tech Giants Like Apple US President Donald Trump has launched a bold new 'America's AI Action Plan,' vowing to reclaim tech dominance from China, but he's also aiming directly at India. In a fiery speech, Trump criticized tech giants like Apple and Tesla for relying on Indian workers and Chinese factories. 'No more iPhones from India,' Trump warned, threatening a 25% import tax on Apple and Samsung if they don't build in the USA. The plan, detailed in a 25-page document, calls for accelerating AI innovation, building US infrastructure, and halting foreign dependence. Trump's message is clear: American AI should be made in America. But this could disrupt India's IT sector, outsourcing industry, and its growing role in global tech. Is India being unfairly targeted? Or is this the start of a global AI war? #trump #ai #india #china #trumpvsindia #apple #outsourcing #indiantech #aiwar #americaai #usachinawar #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews 151 views | 1 hour ago
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
28 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Betting on disruption, reforms: Decoding Motilal Oswal's new thematic fund
The Indian equity market is a bit like life—full of surprises. Some companies ride the wave of disruption, some transform through policy changes, while others emerge stronger from temporary setbacks. What if you had a fund that was designed to spot these 'inflection points' and ride the wave early? Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund has launched a new thematic offering—the Motilal Oswal Special Opportunities Fund—that aims to do just that. This open-ended equity scheme opens for subscription on July 25, 2025, and closes on August 8, 2025. What is a "Special Situation"? Special situations are events that can impact a company's value drastically—think mergers, acquisitions, regulatory reforms, temporary setbacks, or even structural industry shifts. The fund's strategy is to capitalize on these transitional phases by identifying fundamentally strong businesses that are navigating change. Some examples include: Companies benefiting from PLI schemes or infrastructure reforms Firms facing temporary headwinds due to macro changes or industry shakeups Businesses restructuring due to M&A or demergers Upcoming IPO-bound firms or new-age sectors These are often the kinds of opportunities missed by traditional funds due to timing or perceived risk. What's the Fund's Strategy? The fund will use Motilal Oswal's proven QGLP framework: Quality of business Growth potential Longevity in operations Price that makes sense It's designed to be a high-conviction, focused portfolio, managed by a team of seasoned experts including Ajay Khandelwal and Atul Mehra for equities, and Rakesh Shetty for debt. This is not a fund that spreads itself thin. It will be selective, making bold bets where the fund managers see transformative potential. The fund seeks to benefit from company specific (events/ developments), sectoral, or macroeconomic events such as corporate actions, regulatory or policy changes, mergers and acquisitions, or temporary disruptions. The fund is suitable for investors seeking to invest predominantly in equities and equity related instruments following a special situations theme and aiming for Capital appreciation over long term. Who Should Consider This? This fund is not for the faint-hearted. It is meant for: Long-term investors with a 5-year+ horizon Those who believe in thematic investing Investors comfortable with concentration risks and volatility Someone looking to diversify away from traditional blue-chip or index-heavy funds It's important to remember that thematic funds can underperform during market phases where their specific theme is out of favor. Benchmark & Structure Benchmark: Nifty 500 TRI (Total Return Index), giving it a broad comparison base Structure: Open-ended equity scheme Post-NFO listing: August 21, 2025 Unlike diversified funds, this one follows a special situations theme, meaning your returns will be heavily dependent on how these niche bets play out. Investment Objective: The primary objective of the scheme is to achieve long term capital appreciation by investing in opportunities presented by special situations such as corporate restructuring, mergers & acquisitions, government policy and/or regulatory changes, disruption, upcoming and new trends, new & emerging sectors, companies/sectors going through temporary unique challenges and other similar instances. However, there is no assurance that the investment objective of the scheme will be achieved. "Manufacturing, services, FDIs, and exports are expected to grow significantly, supported by structural reforms like PLI, RERA, and Atmanirbhar Bharat. We believe that corporate actions and macro shifts may continue to create special opportunities capable of disrupting markets. The fund will follow a blend of bottom-up stock picking and top-down analysis to identify companies navigating such transformative phases. This may span sectors like chemicals, EMS, infrastructure, defence, hospitality, healthcare, and IPO-bound firms. As growth-oriented managers, our aim is to align with India's evolving economic landscape and seek long term capital appreciation," said Ajay Khandelwal, Fund Manager at MOAMC. This fund could make sense as a satellite allocation—a smaller part of your portfolio intended to deliver alpha or capture a specific trend. But don't confuse it with a core holding that provides stability and steady returns. If you: Already have a diversified portfolio Are looking to spice it up with a high-conviction idea Can handle cycles of underperformance …then this fund could be worth considering. However, do consult your financial advisor to evaluate if this aligns with your risk profile and goals. The Fund will be managed by Ajay Khandelwal (Fund Manager – Equity component), Atul Mehra (Fund Manager – Equity component), Bhalchandra Shinde (Associate Fund Manager – Equity Component), Rakesh Shetty (Fund Manager - Debt Component), and Sunil Sawant (Fund Manager - Overseas Securities). "The Motilal Oswal Special Opportunities Fund is intended for investors seeking to benefit from evolving market dynamics driven by special situations such as policy reforms, corporate actions, and structural shifts across sectors. Leveraging our research-led QGLP investment framework, the fund seeks to build a focused portfolio of companies navigating such transitions, with an emphasis on long-term capital appreciation," said Prateek Agrawal, Managing Director ('MD') and Chief Executive Officer ('CEO') at Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company Ltd (MOAMC).
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Nokia's India net sales fall 6% on-year to ₹3,148.05 crore in Q2FY25
NEW DELHI: Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia reported a 6% year-on-year decline in its India net sales to 310 million euros (~₹3,148.05 crore) in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 (Q2FY25), mainly dragged by a fall in its mobile networks business. Nokia, which follows the January-December financial year, had posted net sales of 329 million euros in Q2FY24 for the India market. 'Net sales in Asia Pacific (APAC) decreased in the second quarter, driven by declines in Mobile Networks, particularly in Greater China and India. Network Infrastructure (NI) saw broad-based growth across APAC. Cloud and Network Services saw growth in India and Rest of APAC which was offset by a decline in Greater China,' the vendor said in its earnings statement released on Thursday. This is in sharp contrast with its Swedish rival Ericsson, which has reported a 28% year-on-year fall in sales in the market area South East Asia, Oceania and India at 5.5 billion crowns (~₹4,917 crore) in the April-June 2025 quarter, weighed down by a pause in fifth-generation (5G) network investments by Indian telecom carriers. India, however, remained second among the top five countries by sales at 6% in the January to June period of 2025 for Ericsson, a company spokesperson told ET earlier. Nokia's mobile networks' net sales slid by 17% year-on-year in Q2FY25, primarily due to a decline in the Americas, and to some extent, APAC, while Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) grew slightly. 'Mobile Networks' net sales declined 13%, primarily related to the prior year settlement benefit and also due to project timing in India,' Justin Hotard, president & CEO, Nokia, said in the earnings statement. Nokia's cloud & network services net sales increased by 10% year-on-year in Q2FY25, mainly driven by core networks. 'In APAC, growth in Asia Pacific and Japan along with India was partially offset by a decline in Greater China,' it said. The network infrastructure net sales were up by 25% year-on-year in the fiscal second quarter of 2025, which included a full quarter of Infinera's financials. Nokia's network infrastructure business comprises its home broadband and optical transmission equipment business, which serves mostly enterprises, governments and webscalers, among others, while mobile networks involve supply of telecom equipment for telcos' retail network such as 4G and 5G. READ MORE | Ericsson's sales in South East Asia, Oceania & India slump by 28% on-year in Q2FY25 Nokia lowers full year operating profit outlook Nokia's overall sales grew slightly by 2% year-on-year to 4,546 million euros in Q2FY25. 'We are facing two headwinds to our full year operating profit outlook, which are outside of our control: currency due to the weaker US Dollar, and tariffs. The currency has an approximately 230 million euros negative impact relative to our expectations at the start of the year, with 90 million euros resulting from non-cash venture fund currency revaluations,' Hotard said. He added that the current tariff levels are forecasted to impact operating profit by 50 million euros to 80 million euros, inclusive of those in Q2. 'Considering these two headwinds, we decided it was prudent at this point to lower our comparable operating profit outlook to a range of 1.6 billion euros to 2.1 billion euros from the prior range of 1.9 billion euros to 2.4 billion euros,' the chief executive said. In India, Ericsson along with Nokia and South Korean Samsung, have commercial 5G deals with top telecom carriers Reliance Jio , Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi). While Vi switched on its commercial 5G services in March, and is currently focused on expansion in 17 priority circles by August, its peers Jio and Airtel already have nationwide 5G networks and provide 5G FWA to customers. Earlier, Ericsson and Nokia saw a surge in India sales from the fourth quarter of 2022 and first quarter of 2023, respectively, shortly after Airtel and Jio began rolling out 5G networks nationally from October 2022. However, both telcos have concluded their 5G network deployments in the first half of 2024 and are now focused on boosting revenues and driving monetisation of their 5G businesses.
