look news india
New Delhi, June 25 (HS). The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday reacted to the comments made after Igor Stimac was removed from the post of head coach of the Indian men's team.
In a statement, Indian football's governing body said that the comments made by the Croatian player to the media last week were made with the sole intention of defaming the AIFF.
Former Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac held a press conference on Friday in which he made several allegations against the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
The federation has also refuted his allegations that he was not allowed to meet any AIFF officials and that he had several in-person and virtual interactions with president Kalyan Chaubey during his tenure.
In the statement, the AIFF acknowledged Stimac's comments regarding the unavailability of the GPS device but said that it was unavailable only for 50 days and the Croatian player's claim of over 200 days is clearly misleading and an attempt to blow the issue out of proportion for effect.
The statement also shed light on the status of 56-year-old Stimac's contract. It said specific instructions regarding inserting a favourable termination clause of the AIFF before executing the contract renewal were also not followed.
The statement also addressed Stimac's selection of support staff. The federation said his demand to have a particular person was also not questioned but added that it was a matter of uneasiness among many players. Despite all the support, the coach always tried to deflect the blame and according to him everything and everyone was wrong and everyone was responsible for any situation except himself.
The statement also said that several players have brought their concerns about Stimac's coaching style and tactics to the attention of the AIFF on multiple occasions.
The AIFF has also questioned Stimac's conduct during his tenure and his attitude towards the AIFF. Citing an incident in May 2024 during the 3rd AFC National Coaches Conference in Malaysia, the statement said he had misrepresented the number of his support staff in a conversation with AFC officials.
“He deliberately misrepresented facts in order to gain sympathy from coaches of other countries and the AFC at the cost of the reputation of India, the AIFF and Indian football,” the statement said.
On his 'imprisonment' comment on the state of Indian football, the AIFF responded that it was done to escape their own responsibilities.
“It is ironic that someone who was the key person controlling the destiny of the national team believes that Indian football is imprisoned and has not developed. It has become fashionable to blame the entire system in any situation, especially when you do not want to take any personal responsibility,” the statement said.
Addressing the timing of Stimac's sacking, the AIFF said it had to act in the national interest and ensure that the sport in the country moves forward. He was given the opportunity to part ways on mutual terms and was even given a severance fee of 3 months when he rejected the initial offer.
“He was given an opportunity to part ways on mutual terms. He declined the offer and made unreasonable and unprofessional demands in response. Thus, the AIFF was left with no option but to terminate Stimac's contract for a justifiable reason and in compliance with the terms of the contract, offering him a severance fee of 3 months,” the AIFF said.
The statement concluded, “Change is difficult for all concerned parties and every change is challenging for any system. The AIFF, together with its stakeholders and all lovers of Indian football, looks forward to starting a new chapter for Indian football.”