SAFF Championship 2023: Igor Stimac's absence looms over India's 'Mission Lebanon'

Late on Friday night, when MG Road in Bengaluru was bustling with partygoers, India men’s football team coach Igor Stimac found out about his two-match ban for collecting a red card against Kuwait in a game that ended 1-1. This was Stimac’s second straight red card . He had also earned a red card against Pakistan. Maybe now the commotion surrounding the coach’s touchline misadventures would be laid to rest. Or maybe not? The red cards and Stimac have hogged the limelight over the past few days. It saw Indian football trend on social media and occupy the headlines. This and not the fact that India had reached the SAFF Championship semi-final and would face a tough Lebanon challenge on Saturday. Not the fact that the Blue Tigers are unbeaten at home in the last 13 games. And also not the fact that India are back in top 100 of FIFA rankings after a five-year gap. It also became a topic of interest when skipper Sunil Chhetri took the mic during the pre-game press conference. A veteran of 18 years in the Indian shirt, Sunil knew the focus had to be shifted away from Stimac and the two red cards. “A lot of preparation is done before the game day, where he (Stimac) will be involved. Of course, you want your leader to be on the sidelines. But whatever little we’ll miss during the match, his main man (Gawali) will make sure we miss him less,” Chhetri explained.

But is it that simple? Lebanon captain Hassan Maatouk clearly had a different take. “It’s always good to have the coach on the touchline. He will give you instructions and everything. So I feel it will be a little bit of a problem but I feel they will solve the problem before the game,” Maatouk said on the eve of the semi-finals. Why is this important? Distractions and a lack of your head coach at the touchline could have a result-changing impact. Against Kuwait, India played 91 minutes of mind-blowing football. A refreshing and encouraging performance against a Gulf team that had defeated UAE and drew against Bahrain, two of the toughest sides in Asia, in January this year. But once Stimac saw red in the 83rd minute, striker Rahim Ali was sent off in the 89th minute too and in the 92nd minute came the heartbreaker — an own goal from defender Anwar Ali. The biggest challenge clearly for India going into the semis is to ignore the distractions and make the right decisions in the moment without their head coach on the touchline. Also, missing the game would be star defender Sandesh Jhingan due to two yellow cards. Big decision for India Rahul Bheke or Mehtab Singh, who is the ideal replacement? It’s possible the team could tilt towards Bheke for his experience instead of young Mentab, especially when Stimac is already missing from the battlefield. India defeated Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup final earlier this month and played a 0-0 draw against them in the group stage of the tournament in Bhubaneswar.

Lebanon have also lost Jihad Ayoub and Soony Saad from the last tournament and have called up Mohamad Sadek and Ali Shaitou. But for a team, that was still two days back ahead of India in the FIFA rankings, the hot and humid conditions of Odisha were a punishment with teams taking a cooling break during matches. In Bengaluru, Lebanon are on a three-game winning streak and high on confidence in conditions favouring them. “They had issues with the weather in Bhubaneswar, but they’re playing better here. It will be a different match. They are a strong attacking side. Their number seven (captain Hassan Maatouk) is a very talented player,” Indian assistant coach Mahesh Gawali said. Coach missing from the touchline and the opponent in good form; India have a solid challenge on their hands, especially with a 13-game unbeaten streak at home at stake. If they win it, their reputation would only grow. And that is what the team needs, not through red cards but from performances on the pitch. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .