India men’s national team head coach, Igor Stimac has hit out at the current state of affairs of football in the country, expressing displeasure at the current state the All India Football Federation (AIFF) finds itself in.
The AIFF are currently being run on an interim basis by a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), who have been appointed by the Supreme Court. The court had dismissed the previous committee headed by former AIFF president, Praful Patel with the national body currently under administration with fresh elections expected in two-three months’ time.
Stimac who recently led the Blue Tigers to Asian Cup qualification hit out at the state of Indian football, considering that his current contract as head coach runs out in September and that he has not had any discussions with the CoA over his contract.
India boss Igor Stimac has a message for AIFF and Indian football clubs 🤓#IndianFootball #BackTheBlue pic.twitter.com/pvSuvsIRZu
— GOAL India (@Goal_India) June 15, 2022
“We had no time to talk about contracts. We don’t even have a board. Nobody thought about how that drama could affect the players. I’m not getting into what is right or wrong. I’m just talking about the timing. At such an important time, such a thing is happening, is anyone normal?,” he said at a press conference.
The Croatian has urged the AIFF to have better communication and release Indian players for national duty whenever he needs them, provided he stays on with the team.
“Be it AIFF or the government. Beware of the Indian national team. We represent India, if there are ambitions in the country to think where we can be, they must follow our motto. In the future If I’m here, the league must start when I say, for as many days when I think the national team to prepare well. The people in AIFF and other federations need to follow my thoughts on what the team needs to go up and higher. The players who are chosen by us must play in the clubs.
“We need better communication between clubs and AIFF. I tried my best, had great relationships with the managers of the ISL clubs, but exchanging information for me is important. It’s important to be in connection with club coaches to provide individual working plans for players so that they can improve. I hope coaches this year will get more time to work individually with Indian players, who need more time to get to the level I want them at,” he added.
The 54-year-old recently led India to Asian Cup qualification with his side impressing in the qualifiers by remaining unbeaten and winning all their three games.
