Focus on long-term growth as AIFF extends Igor Stimac’s contract by two years

“Over the last 12 months, we have seen many positive results with the men’s national team, as well as with the development teams. After discussions with the Executive Committee (of AIFF), we decided that to ensure long-term growth and consistent development, we must tie down the staff to long-term contracts,” said Prabhakaran, adding that assistant coach Mahesh Gawli was also handed an extension and the additional responsibility of coaching the U-23 team.

While Stimac exceeded performance expectations, certain off-field matters he was involved in became a bone of contention.

A recent investigation by The Indian Express revealed that Stimac had given players’ details to an astrologer and picked the team for a crucial Asian Cup qualifier against Afghanistan last year on his advice.

Barely a month ago, the AIFF issued him a show-cause notice following an interview with The Indian Express, in which Stimac said, among other things, that he “didn’t come to India to lick a**es, and wasn’t afraid of telling the truth”.

Stimac’s side have won three trophies already this year—the Tri-Nation tournament in Imphal in March, the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar in June, and the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru in July. (Twitter/Indian Football Team)

Stimac made the comments on the Indian Super League (ISL) franchises, who played hardball in releasing players to the national team for important assignments, including the Asian Games, in which India reached the round of 16, losing to Saudi Arabia 2-0.

The Croat has also been extremely vocal about having a long camp ahead of the 2024 AFC Asian Cup in January, pleading with the ISL to have a break for the same. That demand, however, hasn’t been met with the team set to have just a 10-day preparatory camp.

Stimac’s contract was set to expire after the Asian Cup, and the former Croatia defender had repeatedly told the AIFF that he didn’t want to wait till after the tournament to know his fate. He wanted to put pen to paper before the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month.

Need to act quickly

When reports emerged during the Asian Games that he was approached by Bosnia to coach their national team, the AIFF acted swiftly and after discussions over the past week, offered him a new contract.

“I didn’t want to put myself in a position to be judged on the results of the Asian Cup without being given time for ideal preparation,” Stimac said.

He said the extension is a validation of the trust the AIFF has had in him.

“I deeply appreciate the trust shown in me as well as the staff. It’s also a validation of the trust they have in the process. We have been in discussions for a few days now, with everyone putting all their cards on the table,” Stimac said, revealing that his staff and he negotiated their contracts without any hike in salaries.

In the discussions that took place over the past week, Stimac was insistent that he would continue only if he got an assurance that the national team would get priority over the ISL in FIFA windows after this season.

“The national team is the most important and unifying unit for the country’s football,” Stimac said. “No club or league can garner that kind of support and bring together so many different groups of fans together. It is therefore very necessary to ensure that the national team gets good preparation, and we must not lose the race by missing that time. I’m not counting the days ahead of us, but ensuring that the days ahead count. It has been part of our discussions with the Federation on how to negotiate the FIFA windows.”

The AIFF too said they are committed to giving the national team adequate preparation time. “We know that in the past there have been conflicts and problems with scheduling camps and giving adequate preparation time. But now we are all on the same page, and it is just a matter of putting together better plans for the future,” Prabhakaran said.