Igor Stimac, the former head coach of the Indian men’s football team, recently opened up about the challenges he faced and shared two key solutions he had proposed for improving the sport in India. In an interview with Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, Stimac explained that these ideas had been discussed even before his tenure, which began in 2019 after he took over from Stephen Constantine.
Stimac’s five-year period as head coach ended controversially after he was dismissed last year, following India’s disappointing performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. His time with the team was marked by several controversies, including the use of an astrologer for player selections and call-ups.
Reflecting on his time with the national team, Stimac mentioned two solutions that he believed could have helped Indian football progress. The first was involving foreign-based players of Indian origin in the team, a suggestion that had been proposed even during Bob Houghton’s coaching years. The second was the need for more time to work with the national team, which he believed required changes to the ISL (Indian Super League) calendar.
“We needed to convince the authorities to allow these changes, especially to involve foreign-based players and to adjust the ISL schedule to give more focus to the national team,” Stimac said.
Unfortunately, Stimac revealed that he was unable to persuade the decision-makers to adopt these changes, which he felt were crucial for the success of the national team.