Power-hungry people had imprisoned Indian football: Ex-coach Igor Stimac

Former Indian football team head coach, Igor Stimac, on June 21 took a jibe at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and alleged that power-hungry people had imprisoned Indian football, following which it was unlikely to reach a good level in the next 20 years. 

Stimac made allegations against the federation after he was sacked on June 17 following the Indian team’s failure to make it to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. 

Earlier, Stimac wrote on X that he will hold a tell-all press conference where he would expose several people in Indian football. 

Speaking with reporters, Stimac took a jibe against the AIFF, alleging that they had sacked him incorrectly. 

"I came with an open heart to Indian football. But your football is imprisoned. It will take a couple of decades for things to improve which I don't see happening," Stimac said in his virtual press conference, further adding, “Not surprised about parting ways. Most of my senior players knew I had decided to leave even after had qualified for the third round. It was impossible for me to go on without proper support, full of lies and people who had only private interests.”

Furthermore, Stimac also informed that he had to get heart surgery before the Asian Cup, adding that he was unable to take the stress that came along with the job. 

Calling out AIFF for its functioning, Stimac said, “The people in AIFF don’t know how to run a football house, they don’t know how to organise cups. These people only care about power.” 

Additionally, the head coach said, "IM Vijayan was a fantastic player but he shouldn't be the one presiding over the technical committee (TC). I told the AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey that during each camp we should have one of the members of the TC to be in the team and see what kind of work we do and what we provide our players. You think they sent someone? No one was there.”