Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian football team, slammed the national federation (AIFF) for its chaotic state of affairs, just a day after his team qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for the second time in a row. After the Praful Patel-led federation was found to have violated the National Sports Code, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) was appointed to run the AIFF. While a FIFA suspension for third-party interference is unlikely, Stimac questioned the timing of the issue, which has cast a pall over India’s chances of qualifying for a prestigious tournament like the AFC Asian Cup.
“For such an important tournament, was this the time to do this? Was anybody thinking how that could affect the dressing room and the players?” Stimac asked, referring to AIFF’s current state of affairs.
“I am not getting into who is right and who is wrong. It is not my job. I am just talking about timing. At such an important time, such a thing is happening, is anyone normal?”
“Nothing would have happened if they were waiting for three more weeks after having waited so many years,” he said. The 54-year-old, whose contract has been extended till September, also minced no words when asked about his future.
“We had no time to talk about contracts. We don’t even have a board. Nobody thought about how that drama could affect the players,” the Croatian said.
Palestine defeated the Philippines 4-0 in a Group B encounter in Mongolia, ensuring India’s qualification ahead of their last league play against Hong Kong on Tuesday. Stimac’s team celebrated their qualifying with a 4-0 win over Hong Kong later in the day, finishing with three wins to win Group D for the first time in their history. Stimac went on to say that he moved to India for a “lower wage” despite having many offers.
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