Managing a club and a country at the same time is indeed very hard. But, some of the managers were very comfortable doing that. AIFF appointed FC Goa boss Manolo Marquez as the head coach of the Indian Men’s National team after sacking Igor Stimac. He has previously managed Espanyol B and Las Palmas in Segunda Division and La Liga respectively. The Spaniard will coach the Blue Tigers and FC Goa at the same time. As Manolo Marquez will manage a club and a country at the same time, we'll look at the five managers who have done it in the past in this article on football facts.

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Football facts: Five managers who have coached Club and country at the same time

Rinus Michels (Barcelona and Netherlands)

Rinus Michels was one of the greatest managers of his time. He took charge of FC Barcelona after winning three European Cups with Ajax in 1971. He led the side to a La Liga title in 1973/74. Michels took over as manager of the Netherlands in 1974, before the World Cup in West Germany. The Dutches qualified for the final to face the hosts after defeating Argentina and defending champions Brazil. But, the Netherlands lost the final, and Rinus immediately left the job for his last year at Camp Nou. Michels later returned to the national team and won the UEFA Euro 1988.

Alex Ferguson (Aberdeen and Scotland)

Before joining Manchester United, Alex Ferguson managed Aberdeen and Scotland at the same time. Ferguson was a member of the national team’s coaching staff during the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup. Manager Jock Stein collapsed and died at the end of the final group game but Scotland qualified for a play-off against Australia. Ferguson took control of the Scottish national team against Australia and then in the World Cup.

Scotland failed to progress from the group stage in the 1986 World Cup under Alex Ferguson. But, with Aberdeen, he was quite successful. He won the Scottish and League Cup in the 1985-86 season. Ferguson won 9 titles managing Aberdeen from 1978 to 1986 before joining Manchester United and becoming the most successful manager in the history of English football.

Guus Hiddink (PSV Eindhoven and Australia/Chelsea and Russia)

Dutch manager Guus Hiddink took over the managerial job of Russia in 2006 and took them to the Euro semifinals in 2008. He replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2009 in Chelsea while managing Russia. The Dutchman took Chelsea to the Champions League semifinal and won the 2009 FA Cup.

In 2005 and 2006, he managed PSV Eindhoven and Australia simultaneously. He guided Australia to the World Cup finals for the first time in 32 years. Australia even qualified for the knockout rounds but lost to eventual winners Italy.

Leonid Slutsky (CSKA Moscow and Russia)

Leonid Slutsky was appointed as the Russian manager in 2015. The contract was until the end of UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. He was also managing CSKA Moscow at the same time. Earlier, he had taken CSKA Moscow to the knock-out stage of the Champions League (2009) for the first time in the club's history.

He guided Russia to win the remaining matches of the qualifiers and to the finals. At the same time, he led CSKA to its third title in four years. Slutsky resigned from being the coach of the Russian team after a 3–0 loss to Wales in the UEFA Euro 2016 group stage.

Fatih Terim (Galatasaray and Turkey)

Fatih Terim managed Galatasaray four times and the Turkish National Team three times in his managerial career. In the third act, he managed the club and country at the same time. Galatasaray won its 18th league title with a scoreless draw against Fenerbahce. Galatasaray made a poor start to the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League season, losing the first two group matches in Group H, but they won three of their last four group matches to advance to the Round of 16. 

They faced Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and got knocked out of the competition. In the 2013-14 season after a poor start in both league and UCL, Terim decided to step down after so much controversy and drama. 

In August 2013, Terim was appointed interim manager of Turkey ahead of four critical 2014 World Cup UEFA Group D qualifying matches. Turkey won their next three qualifying matches but lost their last qualifying match against the Netherlands by 2–0 in Istanbul. Turkey finished fourth in Group D and failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup finals.

After leaving Galatasaray, Terim continued with the national team and took charge of Turkey in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Set to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025, the restructured global club football competition will bring together 32 teams from across the world to vie for the title of world champions.

The draw, held on Thursday, December 5, 2024, in Miami, showcased an impressive lineup of continental and domestic champions from every corner of the globe.

Among the standout contenders are Spain's Real Madrid, the UEFA Champions League winners, Brazil's Botafogo, the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores champions, and Egypt's Al Ahly, who are consecutive CAF Champions League winners.

New Format

Traditionally featuring six to eight teams, the FIFA Club World Cup will now adopt a new format, hosting the largest number of participants in its history. Teams earned qualification by winning their respective continental club tournaments, such as the UEFA Champions League, and based on the confederations' four-year rankings.

South America (CONMEBOL) includes six teams, whereas Europe (whose confederation is UEFA) has twelve, making up the largest representation of the 32 teams.

There are four teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), Africa (AFC), and Asia (AFC).

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami was given a spot, as the domestic champions of the host country, Oceania (OFC) got one spot as well. The top two from each of the 8 groups will advance to the knockout stages after a round-robin group stage.

The final will take place at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on 13 July.

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FIFA Club World Cup Groups

When is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, in the United States of America.

How many teams will take part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

A total of 32 teams from 6 continents will take part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Odisha FC's star striker and the third highest goal scorer of Indian Super League (ISL) history, Roy Krishna has been sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a grade 3 ACL injury he sustained during the game against Hyderabad FC last week.

The Fijian striker had already scored three goals this season in ISL for the Juggernauts and has been one of the most impressive players in the league's history since he joined in 2019. He joined Odisha FC in 2023 after spending fruitful years with Bengaluru FC, ATK and ATK Mohun Bagan before joining the 2023 Super League winners.

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"We will miss him on the pitch:" Lobera

Roy was one of the key clogs in Sergio Lobera's plan and without him, they would have a gigantic boot to fill in. However, Lobera feels Roy's absence will not hurt the team that much as the team is focused on the challenges ahead. 

"It's sad news for the team. Roy is not just an incredible player but also a fantastic human being. We’ll miss him on the pitch, but I’m sure he’ll continue to support us off it. He’s one of the best professionals I’ve worked with, and I wish him a speedy recovery," Lpbera stated via an official press release by Odisha FC. 

"It’s not easy when you have just two training sessions, primarily focused on recovery and compensation. But we don’t make excuses. This is football, and we need to adapt. It’s another challenge for us to overcome, and I believe we’re ready," he added.

Odisha FC are currently 3rd in the ISL standings with 15 points from 10 matches after returning to winning ways against an in-form Bengaluru FC with a 4-1 win at home. Next, they will face Mumbai City FC on 5th December at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar. 

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Match Details:

Odisha FC vs Mumbai City FC
5th Dec | Thursday | 7.30 PM | Kalinga Stadium
Live on Sports18, JioCinema, Star Sports-3

Indian Super League outfit Hyderbad FC owners are reportedly planning to move their base to Delhi from next season onwards. According to IFTWC reports, Hyderabad FC owners BC Jindal Group are looking for the formulas and regulations to move away from Hyderabad and from next season the club may participate with a brand-new avatar based in Delhi. 

Hyderabad FC in the ISL 

Hyderabad FC was formed in 2019 to replace FC Pune City as it was financially struggling. The Pune-based franchise was disbanded in 2019 and Hyderabad FC was announced to step into the Indian Football map from the 2019-20 season. 

However, the soft rebranding of the entity did not reflect in their performance as they could not perform well in the first two seasons. Hyderabad finished last in their debut ISL season under Phil Brown who was also the last coach of FC Pune City. The current Indian national team head coach Manolo Marquez was appointed as the head coach of Hyderabad but he also could not deliver the expected result. Hyderabad finished 5th in the 2020-21 season and missed the ISL play-offs by a slight difference of points. 

In the 2021-22 season, Hyderabad FC achieved the coveted ISL trophy under Manolo Marquez beating Kerala Blasters on penalties to be the ISL cup winners. 
The woes of financial struggles and disastrous performance of the Hyderabad side since the start of last season continued and it was uncertain for them to participate in this season's ISL. However, BC Jindal Group took over the club in August 2024 and cleared all the financial issues. 

The relocation

The interest in relocation from the new owners of Hyderabad FC may not be as unexpected as it seems. The owners, BC Jindal Group have shown interest in buying a franchise in Indian Football in the past as well.

In June 2023, AIFF asked for bids to launch two new I-League teams. Inter Kashi and Namdhari SC were finalized from all the corporate bids, but the bid submitted by Concatenate Advest for the Delhi franchise could not compete due to finances.  The Concatenate Advest Pvt. Ltd. is owned by BC Jindal Group and they submitted the bid for the Delhi franchise along with TVS Motors. 

As the company and the conglomerate that owns Hyderabad FC are located in New Delhi, the plan to relocate is not as unpredictable as it seems. 
Delhi Dynamos FC, the former ISL franchise that relocated to Odisha and came out as Odisha FC, was the last club to take part in the ISL from the capital of India. However, Punjab FC currently play their home matches in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The officials will have to find a solution for these issues as well. The local talents of Hyderabad might not get the expected care anymore, which might be a bad advertisement for Indian Football.

Sony Sports Network is set to acquire the TV broadcasting rights of the I-League 2024-25 following the extensive feud between the I League clubs association and AIFF. 

SSEN acquired the OTT rights before and they will continue to stream the matches on its official app whereas Sony Sports Network Channels will broadcast the matches on TV. 

The I-League is about to kick-off from today but. the dispute between I-League clubs association and AIFF has delayed the TV broadcasting. Matches scheduled for first round will not be telecasted on TV but football fans can watch the I-League games live on TV on and from 29 November 2024. 

The I-League clubs association headed by Delhi FC owner Ranjit Bajaj announced in a letter to AIFF yesterday that the 12 I-League clubs have decided to boycott the league and they will not play unless the broadcasting issues are resolved. Shrachi Sports' venture SSEN also announced yesterday that fans can watch the matches 'only' on SSEN app which added fuel to the fire. 

However, in an overnight development, AIFF has finalized Sony as the TV broadcasting partner for the I-League 2024-25 and the clubs expect that over 100 of the scheduled 132 matches will be telecasted live on TV. 

Participating clubs will reportedly pay 12 Lakh rupees each to the Sony Sports Network to cover the broadcasting costs which does not include the participation fees of 7 Lakhs paid to the AIFF. 

The uncertainty regarding the broadcasting issues have finally been resolved and the I-League 2024-25 will start according to the announced fixtures. Sreenidi Deccan will take on Gokulam Kerala in a blockbuster opening game set to kick off today at 4:30 PM IST. Later today, Inter Kashi will face newly promoted Sporting Club Bengaluru in the second match of the opening day, scheduled to start today at 7:00 PM IST. 

Indian football fans better sit tight as one of the most prestigious accolades in Indian Football, the I-League 2024-25 is around the corner. Sreenidi Deccan will take on Gokulam Kerala tomorrow in Hyderabad in the opening match of this season.

From Complete fixtures to the participating teams, here is everything you need to know about the 18th season of the I-League.

Teams to participate in the I-League 2024-25

10 teams from the 2023-24 I-League will compete this season along with 2 teams that achieved promotion to the I-League from the I-League 2. 

2023-24 I-League 2 Champions Sporting Bengaluru and Runner-ups Dempo SC are the new inclusions this season.

• Aizawl FC

• Churchill Brothers

• Delhi FC

• Dempo SC

• Gokulamn Kerala

• Inter Kashi

• Namdhari FC

• Rajasthan United

• Real Kashmir

• Shillong Lajong

• Sporting Bengaluru

• Sreenidi Deccan

Teams to watch this season

Gokulam Kerala will be eyeing for their third I-League title after falling 10 points short of the champions Mohammedan SC. Gokulam finished third last season and they have to strong squad to compete under new manager Antonio Rueda Fernandez. Players such as Sergio Llamas, Martín Cháves, VP Suhair, and last season's Golden Boot winner Álex Sánchez will be crucial for Gokulam's journey this season.

Sreenidi Deccan, the runner-up of last season and the 2022-23 season as well, will suit up for the league title and they have retained the almost same squad from last season. Portuguese coach Rui Amorim has been appointed as the new coach and the Hyderabad-based club will leave no stone unturned for their title charge. Players like David Castañeda, William Alves, Brandon Vanlalremdika, and Eli Sabiá can make Sreenidi fans dream of their maiden I-League title.

Inter Kashi debuted in the 2023-24 I-League as a new inductee and finished in the 4th position. However, they have appointed Antonio Lopez Habas as the new gaffer who is arguably the best coach in ISL history. Mario Barco, Joni Kauko, and Nikola Stojanović will strengthen Kashi's squad whereas they have renowned Indian players such as Edmund Lalrindika, Arindam Bhattacharya, and Narayan Das. inter Kashi will be a very interesting team to watch this season. 

Churchill Brothers will again represent Goa after finishing seventh last season along with the Goa counterpart Dempo SC, the club that returned to the I-League after nine long years. Shillong Lajong displayed a good show of football in the Durand Cup 2024 and they hope to continue to do so. 

Previous Winners

Complete Fixtures