The Croatian leaves after over five years at the helm of Indian national football team…
Igor Stimac Sacked as AIFF Makes Final Call
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has sacked the Indian football team’s head coach Igor Stimac after five years in charge. The decision comes just days after the Blue Tigers failed to progress beyond the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers following a controversial loss to Qatar.
In six qualifying games of the round, India won just once, and accrued a mere five points in Group A to finish in third place, as their hopes of reaching the World Cup were dashed yet again.
It is therefore not surprising to see Stimac relieved of his duties, with the AIFF putting out an official statement that read as follows:
“The meeting instructed the Acting Secretary General Mr. Satyanarayan to notify the current Head Coach Mr. Igor Stimac of its decision to terminate his engagement. Pursuant to the above, a notice of termination has been issued to Mr. Stimac by the AIFF Secretariat, and he stands relieved of his obligations with immediate effect. The AIFF thanks Mr. Stimac for his service to the National Team and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”
During his five-year spell, Stimac oversaw 53 international games, with India winning only 19 of them, a meager 35.8% win record. This year has been particularly disappointing for his side, as India has failed to win any of their seven official games so far, which includes three defeats at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stages in January too.
Nonetheless, under the Croatian’s stewardship, India won four international titles: two SAFF Championships, one Intercontinental Cup, and one Tri-Nations Series. Now, the South Asian side looks forward to starting a new era under a new manager.
No Sunil Chhetri for next coach to rely on
Over the last 19 years, every Indian national team’s head coach relied on talismanic goalscorer Sunil Chhetri for goals. The prolific striker finished his career with 94 goals from 151 games, and will certainly leave behind a big void for his successors to fill. Whoever the next manager is going to be, he won’t have the privilege of calling upon the hitman and will have to find other ways to pump in the goals.
Also Read: 3 Potential Candidates to Replace Igor Stimac as India National Football Team Manager