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After a hattrick of international titles since the turn of the year, the Indian men's national team and their head coach Igor Stimac have managed to turn the narrative around in their favor. The Blue Tigers, who had previously failed to attract numbers to the stadium, have suddenly become a part of the dining table talk.
The Croatian tactician, despite dividing opinions well into his stint, has managed to put together a well-drilled unit and their performances against the likes of Lebanon and Kuwait were testament to the same.
India remained unbeaten in 11 games while coming up against some of their toughest challengers in the recent past. Hence, Stimac has found a lot of support of late, and many have chewed over an extension past his current contract that ends in February 2024, right after the AFC Asian Cup.
In an interview with RevSportz, Igor discussed his contract situation and whether he intends to prolong his stay with the Indian national team.
"I am not in this for money. In the last few years, I have received many offers which are far more financially lucrative and could have earned me more money for myself and the family. I am in this for a cause. To help Indian football grow. And to be able to do that, we need to put a few steps in place," he said.
Narrating how incidents unfolded since his appointment as the national team head coach in the summer of 2019, Stimac underlined:
"When I started, it was as if people did not want to put these steps in place. Despite getting me on board to help Indian football, the attempt was to pull me down to your level and your policies, rather than following my vision and getting better."
"If India has to rival the best Asian teams and get better, we need to follow a certain path. We need to make sacrifices," the former Croatian center-back asserted.
Stimac disclosed that he has been working on a series of presentations for a meeting with Kalyan Chaubey, the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
What will these documents contain? What will the nature of the meeting be?
He said in this regard:
"I am working on a series of presentations for the AIFF. I have promised the President, who is a very good, able, and passionate man that I will send him the presentations, which will summarise my work over the last four years and outline my vision for the next four years and then speak to him.
"I am almost done with the presentations and will be sending things to the AIFF in the next five-six days and then seek an urgent meeting with them. If we have to travel this journey together, we need to agree to a plan for the next four years. And we have to do it now. Not in September, not in January, but now."
Finally, Stimac also made his intention clear that if these conditions and vision aren't agreed upon, he will happily bid farewell to the Blue Tigers.
"Either we do this together for the next four years, or I am happy to put in my papers and walk away without a word," Stimac averred.
"Not fair on me that I am judged on the basis of performances in one tournament" - Indian gaffer Igor Stimac
Whether the federation or fans admit it is a different aspect, but certainly a lot will depend on India's performances in the AFC Asian Cup early next season, to chart the course for the next chapter.
Igor Stimac underlined that it won't be fair for him and his spell with the national team to be judged based on just their performance in a single tournament.
"Given the situation and the commitments to stakeholders, it is clear that we won’t have much time with the national team in September, October, or November. So we will not be adequately ready for the Asian Cup in January. We might still play well, might resist but that’s not playing to our full potential," Stimac stated.
"It's not fair on me that I am judged on the basis of performances in one tournament or one match. Because after four years of hard work, it will all boil down to the Asian Cup and a bad result will mean people will say, 'Nah'. And I am not ready for that. So we need to act now," the 55-year-old coach said.
Not just the marquee continental tournament but also the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers are just around the corner. It has been an elusive dream for India to find a spot in the global footballing gala since its inception.
Stimac believes that it's important for the country to have a coach who'll steer them through the entire qualifiers.
"With the World Cup qualification cycle on, it is important that India has a coach who will steer the team through the cycle. It is not fair on the team or the new coach, whoever that may be, that he takes charge when the cycle has already started," he said.
Furthermore, during the interview, Stimac also stressed that if he feels his vision hasn't aligned with that of the AIFF, he would consider leaving the hot seat on an immediate basis.
"My contract is a very loose one. All I need to do is give a 60-day notice and walk away. You can’t hold me back. And as I said, I am not in this for money. I have now seen what we can do. What India can do with its football. And I know football. That’s the only thing I know. So we need to agree on some things, and do so now," Stimac said.
While both the federation and the head coach iron out the course for the upcoming years of Indian football, there can be no denying that Igor Stimac's period has been synonymous with the growing positivity across the country regarding the Indian team.
