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Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian national football team, has been issued a show-cause notice by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for his recent aggressive comments in the media. Stimac, who has been in charge of the Blue Tigers since May 2019, has reportedly angered AIFF officials with his outspoken remarks on various issues relating to recent disagreements with ISL clubs.
There was a long drawn out dispute between AIFF and ISL clubs over letting players in for the AFC U-23 qualifiers early outside of the FIFA window. In an interview with The Indian Express, the former Croatian defender and coach said, he “‘didn’t come to India to lick a**es’ and wasn’t ‘afraid of telling the truth’”. Stimac’s comments came amidst a widening rift between the top-tier clubs and the national team management over releasing players for India duty.
As reported by several media houses including PTI, the coach has been issued a show-cause notice by the AIFF for his aggressive comments in the media and has been asked to answer within three days.
Stimac along with the Blue Tigers have a busy schedule ahead, starting with the King’s Cup tournament in Thailand, followed by the Asian U-23 qualifiers in China, where the team will also compete in the Asian Games starting September 19. In October, India will compete in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, followed by the 2026 World Cup and Asian Cup joint qualifiers scheduled to begin in November and the Asian Cup in January.
