Committed Igor Stimac opens up on harsh realities in Indian football

Indian national team head coach Igor Stimac has had the limelight for some weeks now. Firstly, it was because of the Asian Cup qualifiers where India were triumphant by winning three wins in as many matches. However, the limelight has not moved away from him as he raises some serious concerns regarding football in the country.

The Croatian, who currently has a contract till September highlighted the areas regarding the football calendar in the country. He picked up topics which are whispered around but not questioned head on. He also went on to criticize the Indian Premier League for affecting football as they belong to the same broadcaster as the Indian Super League.

“Things need to be sorted out about the football calendar, which is still being adjusted with regards to IPL and broadcasting… This needs to stop if we want to make football great in India. Football calendar should not depend on other things,” Igor Stimac stated in an impromptu press conference.

With Star again acquiring the TV media right for a humongous $6 billion deal for the next five years, Stimac believes that it will affect the Indian football’s domestic season. “India is blessed to have a sport as popular as cricket but shouldn’t be afraid to have another sport becoming as popular. And to do so, they need to open the door to football. Otherwise, it will not happen. Football shouldn’t suffer because of cricket,” Stimac added.

Recently SY Qurashi who leads the Committee of Administrators comprising of three members. Qurashi is currently running the day to day activities with his group of administrators. So when asked about Stimac Qurashi has shared how things will be analyzed and a decision will be taken. Stimac is very motivated to take this team forward as they have now qualified for the Asian Cup. But on the other hand he wants to sort out his future soon.

“It is important to understand that the football calendar is different from the normal calendar. Coaches are employed prior to pre-season; their employment happens in June, latest July. So things need to be done earlier than he thinks,” he says. “I am very committed to AIFF. We finished three years of work, qualified for the Asian Cup and I would love to take this team and prove to everyone that India can do better,” he concluded.