All of us want interest of Indian football to be served, asserts head coach Igor Stimac

Stimac also spoke about India's preparation for King's Cup

The current Indian football season is experiencing an exceptionally hectic calendar, perhaps one of the busiest in recent memory. It features a packed schedule of club competitions, national team events, and regrettably, a significant amount of overlap between these fixtures. In light of this, head coach Igor Stimac is eager to organize a preparatory camp ahead of the national team matches, aiming to secure the best possible outcomes.

However, the clubs have a different perspective. They contend that they can release players for national team duty exclusively during FIFA-recognized windows, which is justified by their role in player development. This sets up a debate between the national team's immediate needs and the long-term player development objectives of the clubs.

Amidst the chaos in Indian football, the 21 member Indian national team has embarked on their journey to Thailand for the King's Cup assignments. However, Igor Stimac's concerns have intensified. The team is left with just one practice session before their crucial match because most of the players were drained from their recent Durand Cup duties representing their respective clubs.

In contrast, their formidable opponent, Iraq, has been diligently preparing for the tournament over the course of two weeks, with the majority of their squad fully engaged in training and preparations.

On his birthday, Igor Stimac engaged in a candid conversation with the web media outlet Rev Sportz. During this conversation, he touched upon various topics, and here are some noteworthy excerpts.

Not the ideal scenario for Preparation

Igor Stimac started off by highlighting  the fact that the situation for the preparation isn’t ideal but the team will give it their all. “ Listen, the situation isn’t ideal. We have the time to train for just one session ahead of this game, when you know Iraq has trained for two weeks for the King’s Cup. We know we don’t have our best players. Chhangte came here with fever, so will not be on the pitch. Subhashish Bose couldn’t come because of cramps and fever, and Akash too is not in the best shape because of the broken hand. But one thing I can tell you. I have said the same to the boys. We will not give up. Come what may, we will not give up, and I want the boys to give it their all and play like the Blue Tigers. At the end of the game, they should stand in front of the mirror and say to themselves that they did everything humanly possible. That’s what I want as a gift from my boys, “ the Croatian quoted.

Views on the show cause notice

The Indian head coach gave his honest views on the show cause notice which was given to him for his aggressive comments. He believes that he should have taken matters internally rather than going public. He also assured that both him and AIFF are part of the same team and are working on a common goal to improve the national team, 

“There were some comments in the media which said I had spoken in public when I should have taken up the matter internally. I was asked why I did not do that. Let me clarify one thing to you – I did raise every point internally, and it is not as if I don’t understand the pressures the AIFF is under. It is as much my team, and as much in my interest. We are not two opposite camps. We are the same team. All of us want the interest of Indian football to be served. So whatever I am saying is because I am here to serve Indian football. That’s the one and only reason”.

Clarity on players availability on Asian games

On 5th of September , reports surfaced that Igor Stimac can only have a maximum of two players per ISL club representing the Asian Games. Speaking on the topic Igor said, “No, I don’t(have the clarity). And I don’t blame the clubs either, because it is not in the FIFA window and there is a clash with the ISL. Take the case of Bengaluru FC, for example. They have two of their goalkeepers injured, and hence it is impossible that they can release Gurpreet. So I don’t think he will be there in the Asian Games. All I am begging for is for the clubs to release two players each. If they do that, we will have a competitive team. We have a real chance in the Asian Games. We can do well against China and go to the next stage, but for that, we need to have players and a competitive team. Hopefully, we will have clarity in the next two days.”