Kolkata, July 3 -- The senior men's national football team will have a new coach - their third since June 2024 - after Manolo Marquez and All India Football federation (AIFF) mutually agreed to part ways. Marquez's request to be relieved of national team duties was ratified by the AIFF executive committee at a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. Over the next few days, an advertisement for the position of the head coach will be issued and, hopefully, by the middle of this month, AIFF will be able to prepare a shortlist, said Satyanarayana Muthyalu, the federation's deputy secretary-general. The shortlist will be given to the technical committee which will forward its recommendations to the executive committee, he said. The next window for international matches is in September and India do not play in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier till October 9 when they meet Singapore away. Marquez was appointed in July 2024 after AIFF sacked Igor Stimac - and had to pay $400,000 (Rs.3.35 crore then) as compensation, a first in the 88-year history of the federation. India managed one win, in a friendly against Maldives in March, in eight matches under the Spaniard who won the Indian Super League (ISL) cup with Hyderabad FC in 2021-22 and was also in charge of FC Goa last season. HT had reported on May 6 that Marquez could quit as India coach and continue at FC Goa with whom he won the Super Cup last term, a result that gave the club the right to compete in Asia. FC Goa will play Oman's Al Seeb FC in a single-leg Asian Champions League 2 qualifier on August 13. The executive committee has also proposed that the next head coach should hold only one job, according to an official who was at the meeting. The executive committee, following consultation with the technical committee, also proposed that the number of foreign players in the playing 11 in ISL and I-League be reduced by one, said another official who attended the meeting. Not authorised to speak to the media, neither official wanted to be named. An AIFF media release said the move is being suggested to increase match time for "Indian players, particularly strikers". The release does not mention how AIFF will implement this. Should it be accepted, it will be mean a team can have three foreigner players on the pitch at any time in the top two tiers of Indian football. "We are not sure ISL will accept the proposal but we can implement it in I-League," said the second official. National team director Subrata Paul, and former coaches Bimal Ghosh and Armando Colaco, who are the AIFF president's advisors, attended Wednesday's meeting. The EC has also proposed that I-League players be allowed to take part in the men's national championship for the Santosh Trophy and the National Games, the official said. A feasibility study will be conducted to see if the India U23 squad can play in the I-League, the AIFF media release said. It has also been decided that players from countries under the South Asian Football Federation will not be treated as foreigners. "(AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey had mooted this on SAFF platforms and Bangladesh have already implemented it. Hopefully, India will be next," said the official mentioned above....