Marquez slams World Cup expansion, urges India to focus on grassroots

KOLKATA: (Jul 17) Spanish football coach Manolo Marquez has criticised the expansion of the FIFA World Cup, saying the move has come at the cost of “quality” and insisting that countries like India must focus on “grassroots development” rather than relying only on increased qualification opportunities.

A 64-team model is being mulled for the 2030 centenary edition that will be hosted across six host countries — Morocco, Portugal, Spain besides having the first three matches in South America (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay).

In an exclusive interview with from Barcelona, the 57-year-old Spaniard, who had a difficult stint with the Blue Tigers, said India cannot expect better results against teams that rely heavily on naturalised players unless it addresses the same issue.