Mumbai City and coach Manolo Marquez part ways after poor performance

Mumbai City FC coach Manolo Marquez has severed ties with the club. Following a poor start to the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 season, the club announced the decision on Friday. It was stated that both Marquez and the club reached this decision by mutual consent.

The start of this season has been very challenging for Mumbai City. The club was unable to secure a single victory in its first four matches. At the beginning of the season, Mumbai City suffered a defeat against Churchill Brothers, after which the team also lost against Sporting Clube de Goa at their home ground. In the remaining two matches, the club drew against Kerala Blasters and Punjab FC.

In a statement, the club's Football Director Sujay Sharma said that, like every ISL club this season, they are also moving forward in a new era of Indian football. He added that Marquez was brought into the club seeing his experience and record in Indian football. Now, his focus will be on supporting the first team and achieving the goals of the current season. Further details regarding the squad and coaching setup will be announced by the club later.

Marquez had expressed dissatisfaction regarding pre-season preparations at the very beginning of the season. After losing the first match against Churchill Brothers, he told broadcasters that his pre-season was akin to a joke. The club was unable to organise even a single strong match, and the matches that were played were not real preparation. This was their first match against a strong team, which they unfortunately lost.

Manolo Marquez has previously served as the head coach of Hyderabad FC and helped Hyderabad FC win its first and only ISL title in 2022. Subsequently, he guided FC Goa to win the Super Cup in 2025.