The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday sacked the head coach of the senior men’s team, Igor Stimac, after the team crashed out of the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers despite a relatively easy draw.
Stimak was appointed as the head coach in 2019 and in October last year, the AIFF extended his contract till 2026. “In view of the disappointing results 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,” the AIFF said in a statement.
“Stimak has been issued a notice of dismissal by the AIFF Secretariat and he is relieved of duty with immediate effect,” the statement said. 3 crores), a huge sum for a federation that has struggled for funds in recent years and has cut its competition budget this year.
The 56-year-old Stimak was India’s coach for five years. Despite the retirement of long-time captain Sunil Chhetri, India had a chance to enter the third round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time but after losing 1-2 to hosts Qatar in their last second-round match on 11 June. His hopes were dashed.
The decision to remove Stimak was taken by AIFF Vice President N.A. It was taken in the meeting held under the chairmanship of Harris. In the meeting, Executive General Secretary Mr. Satyanarayan was ordered to inform Stimac about the decision to terminate his appointment. Stimac had once said that he would resign if India failed to make it to the third round of the qualifiers, but he did not do so when the team was eventually eliminated.
Stimak, who was part of the Croatia team that reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup, took over the Indian team in 2019 after the departure of Stephen Constantine. Under his leadership, India won four major trophies, including two SAFF Championships, one Intercontinental Cup and one Tri Nations Series.
The AIFF’s technical committee was tasked with assessing Stimac’s performance amid the team’s disappointing performance in the World Cup qualifying competition. The federation wanted to heed the panel’s recommendation to remove the Croatian coach, but contract issues were causing difficulties for the federation.
Stimac’s job was in jeopardy after losing at home to even lower-ranked Afghanistan in March. The team also had a disappointing performance in the last AFC Asian Cup in Qatar where India lost three matches conceding six goals and failing to score a single goal.
Stimac was hoping for a World Cup qualifier but even there the team failed to win enough matches and advance beyond the second round. In the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, India recorded a 1-0 win over Kuwait in the first leg, lost 0-3 to Qatar and drew goalless with Afghanistan at a neutral venue in Saudi Arabia.
Then came the crushing 1–2 defeat to Afghanistan in Guwahati, a result that did not go down well with the AIFF as well as Indian football fans, who termed it unacceptable and many called for Stimac’s removal.
India could not win Chhetri’s last international football match against Kuwait on home soil. Asian champions Qatar ended India’s hopes of making it to the third round by beating India 2-1 with a controversial goal in Doha.
India picked up just two points from four matches in the 2024 qualifiers and scored just two goals in those matches. During Stimac’s tenure, India played 53 matches, out of which they won 19, drew 14 and lost 20.
