India’s senior men’s football team coach, Manolo Marquez, has expressed sharp criticism of the FIFA ranking system, calling it flawed and misleading. His comments came during a press conference ahead of India’s international friendly against Malaysia in Hyderabad on Monday.
“For me, the ranking is a lie,” said Marquez. “The worst team in Africa is better than most of the teams in another continent. We are not better than Cyprus, and we are above them in the rankings. There are teams above us that we can beat perfectly.”
India, currently ranked 125th, finds itself among the top six teams in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. However, to retain a seeding in Pot 1 for the qualifiers’ draw, the team must maintain this position in the next FIFA rankings, set to be released on November 28.
Marquez highlighted the inconsistencies in the ranking system, noting how outcomes of official and friendly matches disproportionately affect rankings. “If you lose one official game, there are a lot of points lost. If you win one friendly game, you add a lot of points,” he remarked.
Reflecting on India’s 1-1 draw with Vietnam – a team ranked higher at the time – Marquez said, “Vietnam was better than us in the ranking. But finally, the game was equal.”
India faces Malaysia, ranked 133rd, in what promises to be a crucial test of form and preparation. Malaysia recently bolstered its position with a 3-1 win over Laos, gaining valuable Elo points in the process. However, history favours India, which remains unbeaten against Malaysia on home soil, with three wins and two draws in five encounters.
Despite Malaysia’s lower ranking, Marquez emphasized the importance of measuring the team’s progress rather than focusing solely on the opposition. “It’s not about who the opponent is. It’s more about us,” he said. “For me, it would be very easy without a win to play against the worst team in the ranking. But this is not.”
Marquez talked about the need for competitive matches to evaluate India’s performance. “Our improvement playing with a top team or with a very weak team is not a good metric. When we play these kinds of games, you can check how the team is,” he added.
With Malaysia posing a formidable challenge and India’s Pot 1 seeding on the line, the upcoming match will be a significant test of the team’s capabilities under Marquez’s stewardship.
