Igor Stimac
The Indian Football Federation on Monday sacked the current Indian head coach Igor Stimac from his post after India’s dream of winning the FIFA World Cup was shattered. He was made the coach of the Indian football team in the year 2019. Such a big action has been taken in Indian football after a long time. Team India’s performance in the FIFA qualifiers was disappointing, due to which such turmoil is seen in the team.
AIFF gave a big statement
The AIFF said in an official statement that given the disappointing outcome of the Senior Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, the members unanimously agreed that a new head coach would be best suited to take the team forward. “Stimac has been issued a notice of termination of service by the AIFF Secretariat and has been relieved of his obligations with immediate effect,” it added.
The Indian men’s team had a chance to create history by reaching the third round of the qualifiers for the first time in history. But a draw against Kuwait and a loss against Qatar pushed the Blue Tigers from second to third place. Their journey in the qualifiers ended right there. It was a big blow for Indian football fans. In their final match against Qatar, India needed a win. They had never beaten them and had never scored against the Asian powerhouse. But Lallianzuala Chhangte’s 37th minute goal raised hopes in the Indian camp. But the AFC Asian Cup champions came back. They scored a controversial goal in the 73rd minute and scored the winning goal in the 85th minute.
Team India’s performance during Stimac’s era
Stimac took over as the coach of the Indian men’s team on 15 May 2019, helping the team win several trophies during his tenure. Under Stimac, the Blue Tigers won two SAFF Championships, an Intercontinental Cup and a Tri-Nations Series. He is also the first Indian coach to win three trophies in the same year. The feat was achieved when the Blue Tigers won the SAFF Championship, the Tri-Nations Series and the Intercontinental Cup in 2023.
Read this also
Pakistan cricket needs improvement, the team player himself gave this statement
12 teams qualified for T20 World Cup 2026, these teams got lucky, so many places are still vacant