Manolo may call time on India stint after Hong Kong qualifier next week

It’s after 16 years that the Indian senior men’s football team set foot on Hong Kong soil on Thursday, looking to reignite their qualifying campaign in a crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong. They will be locking horns at Kowloon City on 10 June, Tuesday.

The build-up to next week’s match had been far from satisfactory as India was embarrassed 2-0 by Thailand in an international friendly earlier this week. It’s almost a last throw of the dice for Spanish head coach Manolo Marquez, who may put in his papers after this game, irrespective of the result.

Ever since taking charge of the national team around this time last year, Marquez has actually been juggling the role along with his assignment with Goa FC in the Indian Super League (ISL). Soon after touching down in Hong Kong from Bangkok on Thursday, he headed straight to the Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po, where the hosts were taking on Nepal in a preparatory friendly just two hours later. The game ended scoreless.

India had their first training session in Hong Kong on Friday evening at the Jockey Club HKFA Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O. After witnessing the Hong Kong-Nepal friendly match, assistant coach Mahesh Gawli told AIFF media: ‘’Hong Kong are an improving side but Nepal defended very well. They were compact and did not allow them to make many chances. We won against Hong Kong in the previous qualifiers in Kolkata. But now, this team is totally different with a lot of naturalised players.

Eyeing next week’s game, the 45-year-old Gawli said: ‘’We have to continue with the positives of the Thailand game and cut down on the errors. We created many clear chances that weren't converted. The boys understand the mistakes and are eager to correct them. I think we can definitely get a better result here because the team environment is good.’’

Chhetri the lone survivor

Back in 2009, India had lost the friendly to Hong Kong 2-1 and the only survivor from that group is Sunil Chhetri. Gawli, a stalwart in defence of that squad led by Baichung Bhutia, shared his experiences from that game: ‘’We were trailing 0-1 and it was a very equal contest overall. The game was flowing nicely. I came on as a substitute and was playing as a left-back. We were looking for a goal. From the halfway line, I put a long ball forward and Baichung finished it. It was a pity that we conceded a late goal after that.

‘’There was a good crowd at the stadium. We had some Indian support as well, which was great to see so far from home. We were doing well under Bob Houghton at that time,’’ said Gawli, who also played in another friendly in Hong Kong in 2006 which ended 2-2 with Syed Nayeemuddin as head coach.