Igor Stimac launched a scathing attack after he was sacked as a head coach of the Indian Football team due to India lost 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier round. Former Indian head coach lambasted on the All India Football Federation (AIFF), accusing them of stifling Indian Football's growth.
Stimac expressed frustration with the AIFF during the schedule press briefing on Friday. He claimed that football game is now growing. "India is the only place in the world where football is not growing," he added. He held the Indian football federation responsible for the team's underwhelming performances.
Igor Stimac on allegations that he doesn’t watch ISL matches?, he said, “I used to attend matches initially, and then I noticed I was just burdening the budget of federation. I was also not in a place where I can do my job.”
Ousted India football coach also accused AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, saying the sooner he leaves the post, the better it would be for the future of football in the country where the globally-loved sport is not growing at all. He also said that he was "fed up of the lies and unfulfilled promises" during his tenure.
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"The sooner Kalyan Chaubey leaves AIFF, the better it is for Indian football," Stimac said. "Football is the most popular sport in the world, but India is the only place where football is not growing," he added.
Stimac was appointed as the head coach following the departure of his predecessor Stephen Constantine in March 2019. A few days after India suffered a defeat against Qatar in the final second round match of World Cup Qualifiers earlier this month, the AIFF sacked Stimac.
Stimac, who was part of Croatia team that won the bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, said he has been sacked as a coach for the first time in his career. "In my career, I've not been sacked till now, this was the first time. And it was wrongly so - in my reply to AIFF I've done the same.
The 56-year-old revealed that he was given a final warning before the Asian Cup merely for trying to convince the AIFF about the importance of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.