Former India football team coach Igor Stimac who was sacked on Monday slammed All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey, saying that Indian football was imprisoned and the situation would only get better if Chaubey leaves his post.
“The sooner Kalyan Chaubey leaves AIFF, the better it is for Indian football. Football is the most popular sport in the world, but India is the only place where football is not growing,” Stimac said.
“In my career, I’ve not been sacked till now, this was the first time. And it was wrongly so – in my reply to AIFF I’ve done the same. It was impossible for me to continue without enough support, I was fed up of the lies, the unfulfilled promises and being surrounded by people who are only thinking about their own interests,” the 56-year-old said from Croatia in a press conference.
The 56-year-old revealed that he was given a final warning before the Asian Cup merely for trying to convince the AIFF about the importance of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Stimac said that the meeting resulted in him going to the hospital and undergoing a surgery to treat a heart condition.
“After I told them that the World Cup Qualifiers were more important than Asian Cup, I received a final warning from AIFF. When I received the final warning on December 2, no one knows this, I finished in the hospital. I was disturbed with everything going on; stressed from the obvious problems. I had an immediate surgery on my heart. I wasn’t ready to speak to anyone or find excuses. I was ready to put myself on the line to prepare my team for the Asian Cup to give the best shot,” Stimac said.
Stimac was sacked following the team’s failure to reach the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. A day later, the Croat had threatened to file a lawsuit against the AIFF in the FIFA Tribunal if his outstanding dues were not cleared in 10 days.
(With agency inputs)
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First uploaded on: 21-06-2024 at 16:49 IST