Without accepting players of Indian-origin to represent India in football, nothing will happen: Igor Stimac while accusing AIFF

Igor Stimac also mentioned that he came to improve football in India.

The Indian football fraternity faced huge allegations based on the facts shared by the outgoing Indian men’s team coach Igor Stimac. In a press conference, which went on for almost two hours, the Croatian didn’t shy away from revealing the state of Indian football at the present moment and what can be done to improve it. 

Every football fan in India has been shaken by the revelations made by Igor Stimac, as he not only put forth his views on improvement of the domestic game but also blamed some people who are directly or indirectly a barrier to the development of the sport in the country. 

In this article, you get the typical allegations made by Igor Stimac in his last press conference.

Never been sacked in career

In his long career, Igor Stimac had never been sacked before the decision of AIFF. This has affected the coach, who stated, “I was never sacked in my career. This is the first time. But, what amazes me is that after explaining to Satya (M. Satyanarayan) that it’s out of mind to think about organizing anything in July. I was also surprised that he was talking with me about that at the moment when I should have a meeting with the technical committee members to give my report and discuss in which way we go after that to make sure we stay at least in a good relationship.”

“He received calls from above, from his superiors. Then he asked me, coach, would it be okay for you to receive a three-month salary and to leave your position? ” I said to him, dear Satya, no, it wouldn’t be okay,” Igor Stimac added.

“One reason is there is no rush because there is no game coming soon to Indian football. The second reason is I am negotiating with two parties about my job for the future. So most probably by the end of the month I will finish and conclude and accept one of the offers I have, so you will not need to pay more than one salary. So, just be patient and let me agree to the terms with my new company and that will be it. We are going to slit our ways,” Igor Stimac further noted.

Igor Stimac said, “On the other hand, I told him if you want to do it earlier, then I need someone else to take responsibility and accept that there is another party there involved in the huge disappointment which we had because this team didn’t deserve to be abandoned at the crucial moments of its possible success and glory which was ahead of us at that time before the games against Afghanistan and Kuwait. The next day I received a termination letter, an email and I couldn’t believe it.”

“That was not something that should happen in a serious organization, led by serious people. Anyway, they don’t even know that they are not the ones who employed me, they are not the ones who approved my contract extension,” he added to his previous statements.

“They didn’t mind making a decision and sending such a letter which is against the statute of the AIFF, which is breaking all the rules, normal rules in football. Because for them the amount is huge, but probably they are relying on their commercial partner to help them in sorting this out. But, that’s not something I care about anymore, to be honest,” Igor Stimac voiced in a firm tone.

Reaction of players

Igor Stimac had an interaction with all the players and staff he had been with since his first day in India and gave his last message. 

In a bit of an emotional tone, he stated, “I had organized a WhatsApp group with all the players and staff from my very first day and I think the group consists of nearly 120 people.

“I gave one farewell message to them appreciating their commitment, their hard work and their passion for representing the country and since then the messages I received, have been heartbreaking. I would love to read it to you, but I will not because I will start crying again.”

“Whenever I speak the facts, people say he is giving excuses. Facts are not excuses, my dear friends. Facts are the truth. If we look back at our preparations for the Afghanistan games, then it was not good enough,” Igor Stimac added. 

Joined to help

The Croatian stated how he joined the team to help football excel in the country. He asserted, “I came there with an open heart, ready to help you. You know that I was always speaking the truth only, but your football is imprisoned. It’s imprisoned, you know.

“I accepted the challenge at that time, five years ago because I was promised to make everything possible for the players of Indian-origin law, which will be changed so they can represent the country.” 

“I could see that what was then looking like a huge challenge might also be a great one in the future. Without accepting players of Indian-origin to represent India in football, nothing will happen. It’s a slow process.

“It will have to wait for another two decades to change with the great developmental program and developing a few generations of great players under the great infrastructure which I don’t see happening soon.”

A say about stakeholders

Igor Stimac was vocal about corporates running football in India, which according to him won’t benefit the future of the game.  The same query was raised during the press conference and he answered, “Transparency is what is needed there. We know that the deal between FSDL and AIFF started in good faith, but it’s questionable the contract they signed and the behaviour from FSDL towards AIFF is not something that is telling you that there is a partnership going on.

“So, to have such a partner you should have public tender, that’s the first and most important thing to do and to allow Indian football to do better, there are certain rules that need to be followed. Rules like why we still don’t have relegation in our leagues, when even AFC accepted the football map or football rule which was presented at that time?

“Without relegation, there is no competitive football in the league and there is no pressure on the players. We cannot expect our players to do better while there is no high-intensity football or pressure football in the games in the league.

“That’s one of the weakest things in our domestic competition at the moment. So, I would say that there is no honest partnership among the parties. This agreement needs to be changed because first of all the professional football league in the top tier cannot be run by the corporate business,” Igor Stimac added. 

Technical Committee

Stimac was not happy with IM Vijayan representing the technical committee as he stated, “IM Vijayan was a fantastic player, but he’s not the personality to be representing the technical committee.

“A long time ago, I told President Kalyan Chaubey that each country had one of the technical committee members who should be with the team witnessing the work we do, what kind of work we provide to the players and how we operate as a team.”

No termination clause

As per Stimac’s latest statement, the renewed contract which was signed by the former coach last year didn’t have a termination clause. He stated, “The first contract extension I signed was in October 2023. In that contract, we just removed the part about the termination clause.

“Everybody knew and everyone approved what was there. The new contract extension which happened last year, was all about and there was only one condition you need to understand. To get my staff under the contracts on improved terms.” 

“I was not asking anything for myself. All I was requesting was about supporting the team, providing longer camps for the team and honouring the work of my staff. So, whoever wants to say that I was at any point selfish or thinking about myself, he is on the wrong way,” he concluded the point.

“They didn’t learn how it needs to be done and how someone responsible for his position needs to behave to protect his team. These people were more worried about their private interests, about how they were going to enjoy their positions while they were there and nothing else. I’m sorry for that. That’s why Indian football suffers till today,” Igor Stimac claimed. 

Always look for foreign players

Igor Stimac stated that Indian players need to be psychologically much stronger, whether they are playing for the national team or their clubs. 

He advised that, “Our boys were somehow stuck in their minds about what needs to be done and how to deal with the situations and they were always looking for Sunil (Chhetri), like he was a foreign player at their club. You know, how Indian players play at their club, they are looking to pass the ball to the foreign player.

“When Sunil was not there with us and that happened earlier also in a couple of games when we were without him, our boys behaved differently. They were more free to express themselves.”

“I clearly remember what I told you so many times when you asked me what after Sunil. I always told you that no one player can replace Sunil. We need to replace him as a team and that’s what we did. That’s what we did brilliantly against Qatar,” Igor Stimac quoted. 

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