Igor Stimac never stops smiling. Even Indian football was put on hold when talking about some thorny issues. And certainly not while waiting for the Asian Cup, for which he hopes to continue as the coach of the national team.
India qualified for the continental championship last Tuesday, entering the qualifiers with an emphatic 4-0 win over Hong Kong. The free-flowing, high-intensity performance came as an antidote to Indian football, which was suffering several blows – below-par performances from the national team, which led to massive budget cuts by the government, Administrators were appointed by the Supreme Court to run the federation which raised the possibility of a FIFA ban.
The last bit, the court action against the AIFF and the possible sanction of FIFA, had Stimac worried. So, against this backdrop, three wins and qualification made him ‘very happy’. But he is careful not to get carried away. “I don’t want to get excited like the supporters,” he says. “Everyone expected us to qualify, so it’s not a special achievement.”
From a cozy corner of his hotel room in Warsaw, Stimac wants to reflect not only on his moment of glory, which has come after ‘tough and turbulent’ moments, and was ‘over the ups and downs’ over the course of three years . But, he says: “I speak about problems rather than keep quiet.”
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premiumAnd so, Stimac, the defensive pillar of Croatia’s first golden generation of players – the batch that reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup – is aggressive about the issues Indian football is currently facing.
He talks about things he has mentioned many times before – the importance of having a longer season with more matches, giving more playing time to Indian players, holding longer national team training camps, and Urging the government to revise its policy. PIO playing for India.
Stimac then raises an issue that is whispered in football circles but not dealt with skillfully: the scheduling of the domestic season, which largely depends on the Indian Premier League, which is broadcast on the same platform as the ISL.
“Things need to be sorted out regarding the football calendar, which is still being adjusted with respect to IPL and broadcasting… it needs to stop if we want to make football great in India. The football calendar should not depend on other things,” he says.
“India has the privilege of having a sport as popular as cricket, but don’t be afraid of another sport becoming popular. And to do that, they need to open the door to football. Otherwise it will not happen. Football should not suffer because of cricket,” says Stimac.
With IPL media rights worth over $6 billion for the next five years, does Stimac fear it will further affect the domestic season? “India has the privilege of having a sport as popular as cricket, but don’t be afraid of another sport becoming popular. And to do that, they need to open the door to football. Otherwise it will not happen. Football should not suffer because of cricket,” says Stimac.
Asked why he is now talking about these issues after three years of coming to India, Stimac replied: “In the last three years, we were not in a position to talk much. It was better for us to focus on work.”
Stimac took over as India coach in May 2019. He seemed ready for the job, taking a careful look with his research on Indian players and making a plan. In the first match of the combined qualifiers of the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup, the team nearly upset Oman and then held Asian champions Qatar to a draw.
Then the wheels came off. Before three consecutive wins during the Asian Cup qualifiers last fortnight, India had won just six out of 25 matches under Stimac. “When I took the job, I was expecting a different position, I was hoping that everyone would be committed and ready to help the national team move forward.”
Stimac claims that this is not always the case. He cites instances where players, at times, arrived for national team duties ‘an hour and a half before’ a game from their respective clubs. They claim that at times, some key players reported camp injuries, which forced them to field budding players and tinker with the playing 11. “… so I was trying to make sure we didn’t mess up.” He continued.
Stimac’s contract expires in September. SY Qureshi, chairman of the three-member committee of administrators, which is currently running the day-to-day affairs of the All India Football Federation, has reportedly said that they will look into it and decide what to do. Although Stimac says he is committed to India and wants to manage the team in next year’s Asian Cup, he wants to discuss his future soon.
He emphasizes on longer camps and better communication with ISL clubs to release players and ensure that they are fully fit. “ISL will not let India fall in love with Indian football. Only the national team would do that,” Stimac says.
“It is important to understand that the football calendar is different from the normal calendar. Coaches are employed prior to the pre-season; Their employment is in June, latest July. So things need to be done earlier than they think,” he says. “I am very committed to AIFF. We completed three years of work, qualified for the Asian Cup and I would love to have this team and prove to everyone that India can do better.”
His future as coach is still not secure, but that hasn’t stopped Stimac from making plans. Hoping that a more streamlined upcoming season will be beneficial to all, they have identified their core group of players, which includes those who were part of the Asian Cup qualifier squad, and have already played four internationals during the two FIFA windows. Planning to make friends. September and March.
He emphasizes on longer camps and better communication with ISL clubs to release players and ensure that they are fully fit. “ISL will not let India fall in love with Indian football. Only the national team would do that,” he says.
Stimac doesn’t stop smiling. But that doesn’t take away the sting of his words.
