Márquez won the ISL with the club now called SC Delhi, and losing to them was his last game at Mumbai City
Mumbai City have parted company with Manolo Márquez after taking two points from their first four ISL games of 2026-27.
Nov 7, 2026
Mumbai City and Manolo Márquez have agreed to part ways after four Indian Super League games without a win. The club announced it on Friday, 6 November, five days after a 3-2 home defeat to Sporting Club Delhi in a game they had led 2-0 at half-time. They were 10th, with two points, when the club made the call, and Márquez is the first coach to leave an ISL club this season.
There is an awkward twist in who beat them last. SC Delhi is the club Márquez won the ISL with, under its old name, Hyderabad FC.
Four games, two points
It started badly and never really recovered. Mumbai City lost 2-1 to Churchill Brothers at Fatorda on 11 October, the Goan club’s first ISL game. Leandro Otormín’s penalty had them ahead against Punjab FC in Delhi on 19 October until Gurkirat Singh headed in a 90th-minute equaliser, and the trip to Kochi on 25 October finished 0-0 against Kerala Blasters.
Mumbai City’s first two goals of the season were both penalties. They finally scored from open play against SC Delhi on 1 November at the Mumbai Football Arena, through Muhammad Ajsal after six minutes, and Zothanpuia made it 2-0 before the break. Delhi scored three times in the last 20 minutes, two of them in stoppage time. That makes four scored and six conceded from four games.
Back to Hyderabad, sort of
Márquez arrived in India in 2020 to coach Hyderabad FC, and in 2021-22 he won them the ISL title, still the only one in the club’s history. Jindal Football took over Hyderabad’s ISL licence in September 2024, and in October 2025 the club moved to the capital and was renamed Sporting Club Delhi. Losing to them was how his Mumbai City spell ended.
In between he coached FC Goa, winning the Super Cup in 2025 and again in 2025-26, and had a spell as India coach from July 2024 that ended by mutual agreement in July 2025. India won one of his eight games in charge.
Who picked the squad
Márquez did not go quietly in his last weeks. He complained more than once that the club had not found good enough opposition for pre-season games, and he kept saying a specialist striker would get them into the top six. Before the SC Delhi game he spoke about his injury problems. After it, he said recruitment was not his responsibility.
The club kept its statement short. “As with every ISL club this season, we are navigating a new era for Indian football,” said Sujay Sharma, the director of football. “We brought Manolo to the club for his experience and track record in Indian football.” Mumbai City say they will carry on with the current squad, look to strengthen it, and announce coaching changes through the club’s channels. The announcement did not name an interim coach.
The next game will not be easy for whoever takes it. Mumbai City go to Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on 20 November, and Bengaluru are still unbeaten after winning at Fatorda on Friday.