AIFF technical committee is not happy with Stimac

The technical committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is reportedly unhappy with head coach Igor Stimac following the 2-1 defeat to Afghanistan on Tuesday.

At a meeting on Thursday, the members expressed unhappiness at India’s performance in the two games against Afghanistan. India drew 0-0 away in Abha, Saudi Arabia, and lost 1-2 in Guwahati.

This was the first time India lost to Afghanistan at home. At 158, they are 41 slots below India in the FIFA rankings.

The hitch is not waiting till June, when India play Kuwait at home and Qatar away, and removing Stimac immediately is the compensation the Croat could need to be paid.

According to sources in AIFF, the new deal with Stimac is worth $30,000 every month and if he is removed because of poor performance at any time before his contract runs out in 2026, he will need to be paid the full salary. That means AIFF could be looking at $720,000 as severance package.

Given that the federation has cut over ₹20 crore from its competitions’ outlay in its budget for the next fiscal that could be a difficult call to take. AIFF is also looking at negotiating with Stimac to find a an amicable solution. How this drama pans out will be clear in the next few days.

If it gets messy, it could also harm India’s prospects at getting a replacement.

India are currently second in group A with four points from four games, ahead of Afghanistan on goal difference and Kuwait who have three points. Qatar leads the standings with 12 points from four games. The top two teams qualify for the third round. India have never made the third round and a win against Kuwait on June 6 could assure that.

Stimac, who has said he will quit if India don’t qualify for the third round, is due to leave for home from New Delhi early on Friday.