Timeline: Igor Stimac's tenure as Indian football team head coach

Igor Stimac could not keep up with the expectations of Indian football fans.

Igor Stimac has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Indian football team. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Tuesday (June 17) that they have terminated the Croatian’s contract and will now be looking for potential replacements to take over the job.

As a result, Stimac’s five-year stint as the India head coach has come to an end. The Igor Stimac era was full of ups and downs, filled with memorable wins and some crushing losses throughout the five-year tenure. He was able to help the Blue Tigers win some silverware, but some disappointing losses and his inability to unlock India’s attack in key games ultimately led to his dismissal.

Igor Stimac ends his tenure as India’s head coach with a pretty average 35.8% win rate. He won just 19 of his 53 competitive matches in-charge. Here we look at the complete timeline of Igor Stimac’s reign as India’s head coach.

15 May, 2019

Igor Stimac was unveiled as the new head coach of the Indian football team. He reportedly impressed the AIFF chiefs in the interview process when hiring Stephen Constantine’s successor.

Stimac also became the first Croatian coach to manage the Indian team and fans were hopeful that the team would reach new levels under him after the promising 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign.

5 June, 2019

Stimac managed his first-ever match as the India national team head coach against Curacao in their first match of the 2019 King’s Cup campaign.

It didn’t result in a ‘dream start’ as the Blue Tigers suffered a 3-1 defeat, conceding three goals in the first 33 minutes. Sunil Chhetri’s 31st minute penalty was the first goal scored by India under the Croat.

8 June, 2019

India won their first match of the Igor Stimac era. They produced an inspired defensive effort against hosts Thailand and frustrated them in front of their supporters. A goal from Anirudh Thapa in the 17th minute was enough to help the Blue Tigers get the new era started.

7 July, 2019

Igor Stimac managed his first home match as India’s head coach against Tajikistan. It is the first game of the 2019 Intercontinental Cup at the TransStadia Arena in Ahmedabad. India got the game started in blistering fashion and were in control of the first half, with Sunil Chhetri putting them into a 2-0 lead with a brace.

However, too much tinkering helped Tajikistan come back and score four goals, dealing Igor Stimac a loss in his first home game.

10 September, 2019

India’s first major result under the Croatian came in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Qatar in their backyard.

India produced an immense defensive show, spurred on by brilliant performances from Sandesh Jhingan and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, to hold Qatar to a goalless draw. In doing so, Stimac started his transformation of India into a stubborn defensive unit.

25 March, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic restricted India from playing any competitive matches in 2020. After losing their World Cup Qualifier against Oman on 19 November 2019 – the Blue Tigers played their first competitive match in nearly 16 months against Oman in the UAE. A goal from Manvir Singh helped the team eke out a 1-1 draw.

7 June, 2021

India ended their 11-game winless run in a 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier clash against Bangladesh. The Blue Tigers produced a gritty performance and needed a late Sunil Chhetri brace to get a 2-0 win.

That not only ended their winless run and helped them get their first win under Stimac in almost two years but also sparked the beginning of the first unbeaten run.

16 October, 2021

India stretched their unbeaten record to nine games and produced a brilliant performance in the final of the 2021 SAFF Championship.

They beat Nepal 3-0 on their own turf, clinching their first title under Igor Stimac and earning him some praise.

14 June, 2022

Igor Stimac ensured that India qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in style! India were paired with Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Cambodia in the third round of their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. All three matches were held at the Salt Lake Stadium, where fans turned up in big numbers.

India won all three matches, capped off with a 4-0 win against Hong Kong on 14 June – the biggest win in Stimac’s reign.

28 March, 2023

India won their second piece of silverware under Igor Stimac in the form of the tri-nation series. They were paired with Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic.

After a narrow win over Myanmar, the Blue Tigers defeated the Kyrgyz Republic on 28 March and clinched the championship in Imphal.

18 June, 2023

India’s inspired run of form continued under the guidance of Igor Stimac. Thanks to a lengthy training camp, he could find his winning combination and get the players to implement his tactics perfectly at the 2023 Intercontinental Cup.

India defeated Lebanon in the final of the tournament, helping the tactician win that silverware for the first time.

4 July, 2023

India won their fourth tournament under Stimac in the form of the 2023 SAFF Championship, which was held in Bengaluru. After defeating Pakistan and Nepal in the group and dispatching Lebanon in the semi-finals (win on penalties), India setup an enticing battle with Kuwait in the final.

Lallianzuala Chhangte’s 36th minute goal helped level the game after Shabaib Al-Khaldi’s 14th minute opener and neither side could score after that. India, however, came up big in the penalty shootout.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied Kuwait twice to help India win the 2023 SAFF Championship final on 4 July and stretch their unbeaten record in 2023 to 11 matches – their longest unbeaten run under Igor Stimac.

3 September, 2023

The first ‘major cracks’ in the relationship between Igor Stimac and AIFF officials started to appear. A few days before 3 September 2023 – Stimac gave an explosive interview in which he insisted that ‘he won’t lick a**es’ and that no one in the federation can hold him back.

The AIFF clamped down on these comments by giving him a show-cause notice and slammed him for his ‘aggressive comments.’ Stimac ultimately apologized, but the incident showed signs of a lack of unity.

21 September, 2023

Igor Stimac was given the duties of managing the Indian U-23 football team at the 2023 Asian Games. After a 5-1 loss to China in the first game, India won their next match under Stimac’s guidance against Bangladesh.

The Blue Tigers got a gritty 1-0 win thanks to a late Sunil Chhetri winner – which helped them qualify for the knockout rounds – where they went on to lose to Saudi Arabia.

5 October, 2023

Amid questions over his long-term future, Igor Stimac was granted a new two-year contract extension until June 2026 (his initial deal was to run till June 2024).

There were more lucrative clauses inserted into the deal. Stimac was assured that if he was able to guide India to the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, his deal would be further extended until June 2028.

16 November, 2023

In what would end up being India’s final win in the Stimac era, the Blue Tigers produced an immense performance against Kuwait in their backyard.

Stimac shaped his side to be a defensively stubborn unit and Manvir Singh’s 75th minute winner helped India kickoff their 2026 World Cup Qualifiers round two campaign in perfect fashion with a big win.

23 January, 2024

India were eliminated from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after a pretty disappointing outing in the group. After suffering defeats to Australia (2-0) and Uzbekistan (3-0), India faced Syria in their last group game on 23 January.

It ended up being a bitter 1-0 defeat, leaving India to go home without having scored a goal or earned a point in the group – a progressively worse showing than at the 2019 edition.

6 June, 2024

Igor Stimac’s final home match as the India national team’s head coach happened in a vital World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait at a 60,000+ strong Salt Lake Stadium.

It also marked Sunil Chhetri’s final international match for India, but the Blue Tigers produced a toothless effort – playing out a 0-0 draw – leaving them in need of winning their final World Cup Qualifiers second-round clash against Qatar.

11 June, 2024

The Croatian’s final match as India’s head coach happened in the form of a controversial 2-1 loss to Qatar. The Blue Tigers produced a pretty admirable effort in the first half, with Lallianzuala Chhangte giving them a huge lead.

However, Qatar scored a controversial equalizer in the 73rd minute after the ball had seemingly gone out for a corner.  A late winner from Ahmed Al-Rawi in the 90th minute delivered Stimac a gutting loss in his final match in-charge.

11 June, 2024

Stimac was involved in quite an emotional post-match press conference. He fumed at the lack of VAR being implemented for such big World Cup Qualifiers. When asked about his future, Stimac indicated that he’ll talk about it with the AIFF officials a few days later.

He also sent a detailed message to the Indian football fraternity, urging an improvement in the structure of the domestic football pyramid, more playing time for local players in key positions and a need to help the national team coach more often.

17 June, 2024

After a few tense days, the AIFF announced that Stimac had been sacked as the India football team’s coach. The Croatian had his contract terminated. The AIFF refused to comment on a potential replacement, which will most likely be sought out soon.

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