Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian football team, blasted the Indian Super League (ISL) organizers, FSDL, and clubs on Sunday for not releasing players for the Asian Games. The national federation had to put together a motley team with insufficient players at the last minute due to frantic negotiations. Scroll down to read Football Coach Igor Stimac Lashes Out At ISL Organizers.
Football Coach Igor Stimac Lashes Out At ISL Organizers
Stimac did not take names when holding a virtual news conference before team departure but provided enough indications about who all scuppered his and AIFF’s desire to field a quality squad, containing players from the senior national side.
Stimac was visibly upset as he spoke to the reporters. “If I knew that certain elements would stop us from going with the best possible team, I would have rather picked all the players from the I-League and requested to train with them for two months and prepare with them for the Asian Games,” he stated.
He continued, clearly stating his opinion about the third-string players that ISL teams have released: “It would not have been much different.”
Stimac informed that the team will play its first match on Tuesday against China without participating in a single practice, as the squad was put together at the very last minute after the ISL clubs refused to release their players and organizers Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) did not grant a request to postpone the start of the league by a few days.
Players are expected at Delhi Airport between 5:00 and 6:00 PM today. He said, “We will meet up there and take a flight to Hong Kong at 10:00 p.m.” Nobody missed Stimac’s sarcastic remark, “We shall wait (at the Hong Kong airport) for another 5–6 hours for an aircraft that will take us to Hangzhou.”
The Indian team’s situation has been so dire that, after arriving in Games Village on Monday, it will play a powerful Chinese squad on Tuesday.
He continued, “There will be no practice before the game (the next day), and we will arrive in Hangzhou at 5 p.m. on Monday. To ensure that the players relax as soon as possible after arriving and get a decent night’s sleep before the game, we must conduct tactical training with them at the airport and throughout the journey. It’s been a total disaster, which is unusual in Indian sports. Furthermore, it was not anticipated given that the sports ministry granted special permission to field the squad in the Asian Games even though they did not meet the eligibility requirements.”
The AIFF selected a 22-member roster, which included players like Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and was essentially the senior national team at close to full strength.
Thirteen players, including Jhingan and starter Gurpreet, were retained by their respective ISL teams. Initially, a 17-person squad with Chhetri as the lone recognizable face was announced.
After tense negotiations, the AIFF on Friday unveiled a revised squad of 22 players that included Jhingan in addition to two more experienced players in Chinglensana Singh and Lalchungnunga.
Stimac is unsure about the team’s performance, but he remained upbeat and stated that there is a chance to go to the knockout phase.
The top two teams from each of the six groups as well as the four best-ranked third-placed teams will advance to the pre-quarterfinals.
According to Stimac, Chhetri and Jhingan would not play in the China game to keep them fresh for the remaining matches. He also promised to consider more about Bangladesh and Myanmar.
