PANAJI:
Igor Stimac
isn’t going down without a fight. Sacked earlier this week for a string of disappointing results that started with India finishing as the worst-performing among 24 teams at the AFC Asian Cup — no goals, no point — and missing out on qualification to the next stage of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Stimac said he was planning to resign, even if India had made it to the third round of the qualifiers for the first time.
“I had informed some senior players that I have decided to leave, even if India qualified, since it was impossible to work without proper support, just listening to lies,” Stimac told reporters during an online media interaction that lasted for almost two hours on Friday.
“Nobody was bothered about the players, everyone (at the All India
Football
Federation) is more worried about their own personal interests.”
For most part, Stimac trained his guns at senior AIFF officials, starting with president
Kalyan Chaubey
.
“Sooner he leaves, Indian football stands a chance,” he roared.
Vice president NA Haris was always “entering airports, travelling, not serious enough (about football),” while secretary general M Satyanarayan, he said, astounded him by proposing an Inter-Continental Cup in July, a time when clubs start their preseason.
Even the legendary IM Vijayan wasn’t spared. In his words, “a great footballer and legend but not the right person to be chairman of a technical committee.”
Then there was the customary stick reserved for FSDL, the body that owns and runs the Indian Super League (ISL), India’s top-tier league.
Stimac said the contract between AIFF and FSDL started in good faith but remains questionable.
“The league and top tier cannot be run by corporate business,” he said.
Handed an extension seven months ago, Stimac was sacked this week after a poor AFC Asian Cup campaign and an even poorer FIFA World Cup qualifying run. The sacking, Stimac suggested, came less than 24 hours after he had told the AIFF that he was negotiating with two potential employers and needed time to resign.
“I told (AIFF secretary general) Satya I am negotiating with two parties for jobs in the future, so until the end of the month, I will accept one of the offers and you won’t have to pay more than one (month’s) salary. The next day I received the termination letter on email. I could not believe it. This happened only half a day after telling him to be patient and not get influenced with social media,” said Stimac.
A bronze medal winner at the FIFA World Cup in 1998 with Croatia, Stimac got the India job in 2019 after convincing the technical committee that he could help Indian footballers punch above their weight. Five years later, while India are playing more attractive football and won a record three trophies last year, the Croat is leaving with a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I came here with open arms, but your football is imprisoned. Without the law being changed and allowing PIO players to represent India, nothing will change. It’s a slow process. Will take another two decades or so to make progress,” said Stimac.
The AIFF has started the process to look for Stimac’s successor. On the first day itself, there were 45 applications from coaches across the world. But given the negative publicity surrounding the sport here, Stimac felt the job wouldn’t attract bigger profiles.
“The new coach will know immediately (what awaits him),” he said. “You cannot get a big-name coach. Everyone knows what kind of things we deal with in Indian football. How we operate, you might get someone who is desperate for a job. Don’t think there will be any success.”
Asked what he would have done differently during his fiveyear tenure, Stimac said he should have resigned after the SAFF Championship in July last year, winning his third trophy of the year.
“I shouldn’t have trusted these people,” said Stimac. “After winning three trophies in 2023, I had huge support among the media and fans. As much as they wanted me out, they could do nothing. The only way they knew of running was through social media. They don’t care about other things. It’s a wrong approach to run any serious institution.”
English (US) ·