 "Former Indian football team coach Igor Stimac feels stakeholders need to do more for the national team. Image: Reuters")
Former Indian football team coach Igor Stimac has voiced his support for current Blue Tigers head coach Manolo Marquez after the team’s disappointing goalless draw against Bangladesh in their opening match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers final round.
Despite India being 59 spots ahead of Bangladesh in FIFA rankings, there was little to separate the two teams in the match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Polo Ground) in Shillong last week. With India failing to collect all three points, their upcoming matches in Group C become even more crucial.
Manolo was highly critical of his team after the disappointing result, even questioning the quality of Indian football.
Stimac throws his weight behind Monolo
Reacting to the match, Stimac—who led India to the 2023 Asian Cup—praised the Spaniard’s bold words and called for greater support for the FC Goa coach, stressing that qualifying for the continental showpiece won’t be possible without it.
“I would mention again, do not be too pessimistic, because first of all, Manolo deserves the credit for knowing the situation and taking responsibility. It is his chance to lead the team forward. I will remind you that I started in the qualifiers, but somehow survived with the vision, with the fight, with the willingness to face the people on the other side and tell them the truth. Fighting for the players, for the dressing room, developing their core strength and abilities at the same time. And Manolo will try and do the same,” Stimac told RevSportz.
“I’m quite convinced it’s going to be difficult, but it’s going to be easier with your help, with your belief, and surrounding him with support. You know, if there is no support from the fans, from those who are important in Indian football, then it’s going to be very difficult for Manolo and the boys in the rest of the [2027 AFC Asian Cup] qualifiers.”
Stimac says Chhetri recall was ‘risky’
Stimac, however, did not agree with Manolo’s decision to recall the retired Sunil Chhetri. The 40-year-old reversed his international retirement at the coach’s request due to India’s lack of lethal strikers. While Chhetri scored in the friendly against the Maldives on his return, he failed to find the net against Bangladesh.
Stimac believes it was a “risky” decision—one that Manolo was forced to make.
“That was a short-term solution, because Manolo probably noticed that there is no killer in front of the goal, and at that point he needed Sunil, and probably asked him to come back for that game, to get the win,” he told RevSportz. “Three points to lift up the confidence of the players in the dressing room and to calm down the nation, I would say, but it’s always risky to do so.”
Stimac on how Indian team can do well
The 57-year-old former Croatian and Premier League defender, Stimac, also added that Indian football stakeholders need to come together and prioritise the national team for its fortunes to change.
“There are many more solutions also, but none will succeed until we stop putting local interests or state interests in front of the interests of Indian football. All the stakeholders need to sit down together and prioritise what is the aim here, because in each country in the world, football exists at the lowest level for one reason, to have a successful national team,” Stimac said.
“That’s the main reason for football’s existence, because the biggest competition in the world is the World Cup. Are the clubs playing there, or football nations? Is it dream of Indians to participate at the World Cup one day? So, we all need to work together to create a strong pool of players, talented Indian players, to make sure that they have somewhere to play and develop their strengths – to represent the country at the end of the day, and to qualify [for the World Cup] with India football.”