Igor Stimac pleads ISL clubs to release players for Indian NT games

2023 is going to be a historic year for the Indian Football fraternity as it is going to be the busiest work calendar for the national team in the last few years. Igor Stimac will take his boys to the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers followed by the 2023 Asian Games, the King’s Cup, Merdeka Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers.

The head coach will start his first assignment by mid August and will require his players from then on until the completion of all competitions. This means that the players will have to stay away from their clubs in order to fulfil their national duties.

And the fact that a lot of key players will be away from their clubs for so long hasn’t gone down with the ISL clubs, as reported earlier. A lot of clubs are reluctant to let go off their star players for such a long duration of time.

India’s head coach Igor Stimac has come out and urged the clubs to stand by the national team and extend their helping hand in every possible way as the Blue Tigers approach a phase that could very well change the dynamics of the game in the country.

What did he say?

The head coach began by appreciating the clubs for all the hard work that they have put in and urged them to continue in the same direction.

“A sincere request to all ISL Clubs. Indian Football is at a crucial junction right now. We’ve all worked very hard over the last few years to create a culture and build momentum to move towards our ultimate goals, and we need to continue working together and march forward,” Igor Stimac wrote on his social media handles.

He further went on to urge the ISL clubs to support the national team in the upcoming tournaments as the nation wants to put its best foot forward against the biggest teams in Asia.

“I urge all clubs to continue supporting our national teams, especially in the upcoming months packed with some major tournaments – AFC U23 qualifiers, Asian Games, World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup. We as a nation want to be able to put our best players on the pitch against the footballing giants of Asia and the World and show them that we are not to be taken lightly,” he continued.

The head coach also mentioned that now the Indian boys are capable of competing against the best teams but they need enough time to prepare together.

“Each national team’s success is adding extra value to all the players and now we know that our boys can compete against the best teams only when we are given enough time for preparation prior to important challenges,” he stated.

He appreciated the clubs for all the hard work that they have put in over the years to nurture and develop players and said that the results of their hard work is visible now.

“The work that each and every club has put into developing and nurturing our players over the last few years is really commendable and the results can undeniably be seen in the National Team’s recent performances,” he said.

He also thanked the coaches for the huge part that they have played and urged them to continue supporting the national team. He also requested the clubs to consider the national team’s demand for longer camps ahead of the upcoming qualifiers.

A sincere request to all ISL clubs and their respective coaches 🙏🏼💙@MumbaiCityFC @mohunbagansg @eastbengal_fc @bengalurufc @ChennaiyinFC @KeralaBlasters @NEUtdFC @JamshedpurFC @HydFCOfficial @FCGoaOfficial @OdishaFC @RGPunjabFC pic.twitter.com/rX4Gzh02Pw

— Igor Štimac (@stimac_igor) August 5, 2023

“I want to thank all the clubs and their respective coaches for the huge part they’ve played in developing. Indian football and kindly ask you all to keep supporting our request for longer camps throughout November and December prior to the World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup. You dear coaches know best that short preparation time is killing any hopes for us doing well in these major tournaments,” he asserted.

Igor Stimac concluded by saying, “I can assure you, our national teams will make sure to validate your support with our performances. Let’s take our nation to the pinnacle of football, TOGETHER.”

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