It was about 30 minutes after the match had ended, and India’s Blue Tigers had suffered a heartbreaking 4-5 loss on penalties. This, after being robbed of a win by the referee who awarded Iraq a generous penalty in the 80th minute when India were leading 2-1 and seemed in control. Twice, India led. Twice, Iraq equalised, the second goal coming from that soft and dubious penalty. When I managed to get Igor Stimac, the coach, on a call, he sounded distraught. Normally a positive person, he was finding it very hard to speak. When we sat down for the interview, he asked me to wait for a few minutes because he needed to compose himself. Wiping the sweat off his brow and with multiple shakes of the head, we finally started talking.
Here’s what we spoke about:
Boria: If that was a penalty, coach, then I have been born today.
Igor Stimac: I leave you guys to say that today. I did not go to the press conference because I am not in a position to go, you see. If I went to the press conference, I would have spoken the truth. And the truth is the referee robbed my boys, robbed India of a win today. That is what the truth is, and I could not say that in the press conference.
Boria: It is unfair on our players. Young boys who had given it their all on the pitch. They can’t be treated like this.
Stimac: Listen, FIFA speaks about Fair Play and promotes correctness and humbleness. What the officials do is they don’t practice these principles. And when it comes to the referee, you can’t take a decision on something that you haven’t seen. Had he seen it, I would have said: ok he has seen it, but today, he couldn’t have seen it. And here there was no VAR. But you know what? There were two giant screens of 20 metres each. They were showing the replay multiple times and all we kept saying was: please take a look once. It would have taken three seconds to do so. But he wasn’t willing to listen or consider.
Boria: You had mentioned this to me after the SAFF cup in Bengaluru. And it has happened again. How do we deal with this?
Stimac: We will deal with this by getting better. That’s the only way to deal with this. Don’t let the opponents come into your penalty box. If you have seen today, we did not have the same intensity that we had in the SAFF Cup or the InterContinental Cup. If we had more time to prepare, we wouldn’t let the opposition team come into our box in the last 30 minutes of play, and then the referee will have no option. He can give free kicks but if we don’t let the ball come into the penalty box, he can’t rob us by giving a penalty. That’s what we need to do. We need to get better.
Boria: Yes, but with one training session, this was a spectacular effort.
Stimac: See, these boys deserve better. They have given it their everything and they deserved what could have been a great win. I am happy to sacrifice myself. I have no problems doing that, but these boys need to be protected and they deserve better. The pace of the Durand Cup or the ISL isn’t the same as these matches, and when you play quality teams, and that’s why I need time with them to get them ready. Iraq is ranked 70th in Asia, and only this year, has beaten teams like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the likes. To do well against them, you need to prepare. Let’s be candid – they played better and they had more possession, but we were the ones who created better chances. They were pushing us to the box, but that’s what we wouldn’t have let them do had we prepared better. Having said that, we led twice and should have won this game had it not been for the referee.
Boria: What did you tell the boys? I know it is hard, but what did you tell the boys?
Stimac: I said I am proud of them. They have given it their all on the pitch, and that’s what you want from your boys. You want them to give it everything they have. They should have won, but that was not in their hands. They have given me the perfect birthday gift. They did not hold back. Yes, we could have celebrated this great day but that is not to be because of the referee. Having said that, I am proud of the boys. Only if I get a little more time with them, we can create wonders, you see.
🚨 A RevSportz Exclusive
Coach Igor Stimac speaks out on the penalty. Says his players deserve better and were robbed of a win by the referee. Says his team won’t give up and will emerge stronger. @AgeasFederal @stimac_igor @BoriaMajumdar #IndianFootball #INDvIRQ #bluetigers… pic.twitter.com/i9uRcjhxsi
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) September 7, 2023
Boria: Last question, because neither of us is in the frame to speak more today. We have seen today that miracles can indeed happen – 2-2 versus Iraq is not something I would have imagined. Honestly, I did not think it was possible. But it happened. Clearly, Indian football has turned a new leaf. Sport teaches you how to lose and it will help you and the boys get better. I am sure of it.
Stimac: We can do a lot better. And we will. Every defeat makes you stronger. And when something great is to happen, you have to go through a number of defeats to get there. We will not give up. Never. We will learn our lessons and get better and stronger. My only request is please see the potential in these boys, and allow me to work with them. Allow me to do what is possible for them. That’s all. And if we are able to do that, we will emerge a much better team. Indian fans will be proud of their team, for these boys will give it their all each time they wear the Indian national jersey. That’s all I ask of them, you see.