At the beginning of the week, Igor Stimac (56) was fired from the position of coach of the Indian football team. Defeat of Katara (2-1) in mid-June destroyed all India’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup, which led to the end of cooperation with the Croatian coach. The Indian portal News Live reports that the parting is not going well and that the whole thing could end up in court.
The aforementioned media reports that Štimac regrets not leaving the Indian national team earlier. The dispute arose over compensation because the Croatian coach was surprised when he was handed a termination contract on Monday. He thought that he would remain the coach until the end of June and repeatedly stated that he would Football Federation of India (AIFF) did not fulfill the agreements and promises.
– There was no trust between us, but I stayed in office because I didn’t want to betray my boys, so I didn’t leave even though I was supposed to leave after the finals of the South Asian Championship in 2023. I shouldn’t have trusted the people who run the AIFF, they lied, sold big dreams, but didn’t fulfill their promises. It was my mistake to trust them – said Štimac.
World Cup – AFC Asian Qualifiers – Group A – Qatar v India
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The Croatian coach responded to the AIFF’s dismissal by email, stressing that “the president of the Association only thinks about how many clicks he will get on social networks.
– As soon as possible Kalyan Chaubey leave AIFF, the better for Indian football. He is a populist and is only interested in taking pictures with influential football people, he has no political power. and nobody knows him on the streets. I had no relationship with Kaylan.
Štimac believes that his dismissal from the Indian national team damaged his reputation and he no longer plans to cooperate with the AIFF. Because of the compensation, the alliance may end up in court.
– My lawyer started an investigation. Speaking of 10 days before filing the complaint, the AIFF is probably in a panic and is looking for help. from the marketing partners to compensate the money that I should receive for the full salary, so until June 2026 – said Štimac after he refused the compensation in the form of three months’ salary.
– I told them to give me time until the end of June this year because I have negotiations about two potential offers. If I got a job, they wouldn’t have to pay me any compensation, but they fired me anyway. the next day. The new coach will have the same problems and until the AIFF changes, Indian football will remain stuck – Štimac concluded.