Igor Stimac, the former head coach of the Indian national football team, has expressed his disappointment over the team’s recent performances under new coach Manolo Marquez. Stimac, who was sacked in June after India failed to qualify for the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, believes that the team has missed an opportunity to progress under his leadership.
“The future will show how right I was,” Stimac said. “I was clear about what needs to be done to get in a good place but not many who run football cared.”
Stimac pointed to the team’s impressive performances during his tenure, including winning three successive tournaments at home in 2023 and taking Iraq to penalties in the World Cup qualifiers. However, he believes that the team’s progress was hindered by a lack of support from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs.
“We played some wonderful games and I had a wonderful time with the players many of whom still keep in touch,” Stimac said. “But obviously when it was most needed, these people didn’t want to sacrifice a few weeks of ISL for the national team.”
Stimac also criticized the intensity of the ISL, which he believes is not sufficient to prepare players for international football.
“The intensity of ISL is not even 50% of intensity of international football,” Stimac said. “And there are no foreign players to help. So, you are put in a situation where you cannot do well.”
Stimac believes that the team’s recent struggles are a result of these factors and that the AIFF and ISL clubs need to do more to support the national team.
“And after each reversal, supporters will criticize either players or the coach,” Stimac said. “That is not where they should be pointing fingers.”
