File photo of Igor Stimac© AFP
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to sack Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac after the national side failed to qualify for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. India were defeated 2-1 in their last match against Qatar – a result that meant the national side finished third in their group which also had Kuwait and Afghanistan. The decision came just weeks after Sunil Chhetri retired from international football after playing his final game against Kuwait. According to AIFF press release, the decision was taken after senior officials held a virtual meeting on Sunday.
“The meeting was chaired by AIFF Vice President Mr. NA Haris and the others in attendance were Mr. Menla Ethenpa (Member, Executive Committee and Chairperson, Finance Committee), Mr. Anilkumar Prabhakaran (Member, Executive Committee and Chairperson, Competitions Committee), Mr. IM Vijayan, (Chairman of the AIFF Technical Committee), Mr. Climax Lawrence (Member of the AIFF Technical Committee) and Mr. M. Satyanarayan (Acting Secretary General),” it stated.
“Noting the disappointing outcome of the Senior Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, the members unanimously agreed that a new Head Coach would be best placed to take the team forward.”
“The meeting instructed the Acting Secretary General Mr. Satyanarayan to notify the current Head Coach Mr. Igor Stimac of its decision to terminate his engagement.”
“Pursuant to the above, a notice of termination has been issued to Mr. Stimac by the AIFF Secretariat, and he stands relieved of his obligations with immediate effect. The AIFF thanks Mr. Stimac for his service to the National Team and wishes him well in his future endeavours,” the statement added.
India lost their game against Qatar 2-1 but the match was not without its fair share of controversies. Qatar’s equaliser came under the scanner when replays showed clearly that the ball crossed the line behind the goal before it was played back to the attacker who scored the goal.
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