‘The Sooner He Leaves, The Better it is…’, Igor Stimac Lashes Out at AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey

New Delhi: Former India football coach Igor Stimac delivered a blistering critique of AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey on Friday, advocating for a change in leadership for the betterment of football in a country where the sport’s growth has stalled despite its global popularity. Stimac emphasized the urgency of Chaubey stepping down, asserting that it is crucial for the future trajectory of football in India, which currently faces stagnation.
On Monday, Stimac was dismissed as head coach after the team failed to advance to the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The following day, the Croatian coach warned of legal action against the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in the FIFA Tribunal if his outstanding dues were not settled within 10 days.
During a lengthy online press conference on Friday, Stimac said Indian football is “imprisoned” and blamed Chaubey for most of the problems besetting the game. He also said that he was “fed up of the lies and unfulfilled promises” during his tenure.
“The sooner Kalyan Chaubey leaves AIFF, the better it is for Indian football,” Stimac said.
“Football is the most popular sport in the world, but India is the only place where football is not growing,” he added.
After Stephen Constantine in March 2019, Stimac was appointed as the head coach.
A few days after India suffered a defeat against Qatar in the final second round match of World Cup Qualifiers earlier this month, the AIFF sacked Stimac.
Stimac, a member of Croatia’s 1998 FIFA World Cup bronze medal-winning team, expressed that being sacked as a coach marks the first such instance in his career.
“In my career, I’ve not been sacked till now, this was the first time. And it was wrongly so – in my reply to AIFF I’ve done the same.
“It was impossible for me to continue without enough support, I was fed up of the lies, the unfulfilled promises and being surrounded by people who are only thinking about their own interests,” Stimac said from Croatia.
The 56-year-old disclosed that he received a final warning prior to the Asian Cup simply for advocating to the AIFF about the significance of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Stimac revealed that the meeting resulted in him going to the hospital and undergoing a surgery to treat a heart problem.
“After I told them that the World Cup Qualifiers were more important than Asian Cup, I received a final warning from AIFF. When I received the final warning on December 2, no one knows this, I finished in the hospital.
“I was disturbed with everything going on; stressed from the obvious problems. I had an immediate surgery on my heart. I wasn’t ready to speak to anyone or find excuses.
“I was ready to put myself on the line to prepare my team for the Asian Cup to give the best shot,” Stimac said.