Manipur’s football culture impresses Hyderabad FC coach Manolo

While coach Manuel Márquez Roca, fondly known as Manolo, is focussed on the upcoming match and wants the team to give its best during the encounter, the coach couldn’t help but stress on how impressed he has been with Manipur’s footballing community during a virtual interaction with TOI last week. The defending Indian Super League (ISL) champions were placed in Group C with TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Chennaiyin FC, Army Red FT and played their group matches at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal and it was quite an experience for the ISL champions. "It was fantastic and really wonderful.

Manipur doesn’t have any team in ISL but they are the state to have the highest number of players in the tournaments. Football is very important for them even more than cricket. The fans came to receive us at the airport and it was an incredible feeling.

Even during the match against NEROCA, the stadium was completely full and atmosphere was fantastic," said Manolo. "We shared our hotel with Chennaiyin FC in Imphal and their coach Thomas Brdaric also shared the same feeling. The pitch is also in good conditions," he added.

Keeping aside their participation in the tournament, the coach along with some of the players also visited a football club in Bishnupur ahead of the tournament. Asked if the team management has any special plans in mind for the region, Varun Tripuraneni, Hyderabad FC co-owner, said, "We have been doing trials all across the country and definitely want to build our fanbase and reach all over India." Meanwhile, as far as Durand Cup is concerned, the coach sounded quite pleased with the team’s showing. Although they lost their last group game against Army Red, they won other three quite convincingly.