It was on Saturday at 5pm that RevSportz broke the story of Igor Stimac, the Indian national coach, being served a show-cause notice by the AIFF. The notice, dated August 31, allows him three days’ time to respond to the allegations levelled against him. Stimac, who was on his way to Thailand on Saturday evening for the King’s Cup, will have to respond to the charges by Monday.
The letter, parts of which is reproduced below, makes some serious allegations against the head coach. Reacting to comments made in the media, the AIFF has even gone on to ask why it shouldn’t take serious action on the basis of these breaches of contractual obligations on Stimac’s part.
The relevant paragraphs from the letter are reproduced here for our readers:
“Clause 9 (of the contract) states that AIFF shall be empowered to take necessary action under the clause in the following event, relevant ones being:
A If the Head Coach intentionally violate the terms and conditions/instructions given to him repeatedly, such offence being documented or
B If the Head Coach behaves negligently or behaves in a manner subversive of discipline or
D If the Head Coach brings AIFF to disrepute by maligning it publicly or acting in a manner which damages the image of the AIFF, or
G If there are instances of repeated gross misconduct by the Head Coach despite warnings”
“Your statements amount to defamatory conduct. Further as evident from the above terms, your conduct stands in violation of your engagement contract.”
The issue comes at a very critical time for Indian football. The sport is on a high following three back-to-back tournament wins, and India is now back in the top 100 of the FIFA rankings. India are scheduled to play the King’s Cup, the Asian Games, Merdeka Cup and the all-important World Cup qualifiers against Qatar and Kuwait in the next three months. With a packed international calendar, the focus for Indian football should be to go higher and use this opportunity that is finally in front of us. And to do so, Stimac and the players, and of course the Federation, need to be on the same page. It is collective enterprise that can steer the sport forward. A show-cause notice on serious grounds, five days before the King’s Cup and 20 days before the Asian Games comes at the worst time for the sport.
Stimac is the first really high-profile coach to come to Indian shores. His credibility is such that even Luka Modric, Ballon d’Or winner, takes time out to interact with him and learn more about Indian football. Stimac, the first truly global football icon to come to India as coach, has managed to steer India on to the path of progress. To push him out now could be badly counterproductive. Even if he answers the show cause and the issue is settled, it is natural that it will result in bruised egos and an uncomfortable working relationship. Indian football doesn’t need a marriage of compromise between Stimac and the AIFF. It needs both parties to be on the same page to take the sport ahead. Allegations and counter-allegations will not benefit the sport, and both the Federation and the coach need to realise this at the outset.
For the sake of Indian football, we need a solution to this matter with immediate effect. We need Stimac to stay and drive Indian football ahead. We need him to have an opportunity to select the best players and give us the results we need. While there will always be an issue between club and country, we must also remember that the major leagues of the world had to be suspended for a while in November-December 2022 on account of the FIFA World Cup. Federations across the world have placed national interest ahead of domestic leagues because only then can the national team grow. While club tournaments are important and also a sign of progress, the nation always comes first. And both Stimac and the AIFF should work out a way to ensure that without getting into a situation of discord.
Losing Stimac at this moment would be problematic for Indian football. Also, pushing the AIFF away isn’t the way the coach can achieve his ambitions in India. He has already set the tone. Spent four years doing so. Now, to leave with a job half-done would not be in his best interests either.
Egos, individual likes and dislikes, show of power are all secondary to one simple thing – the interests of the sport in India. And men in positions of power and prominence, be it Stimac or the AIFF officials, need to take cognizance of it and act accordingly. The bottom line is that India can’t lose this opportunity. Our football can’t. We can’t be pushed back yet again and lose momentum. The institution of Indian football is bigger than any individual.
It is also true that these individuals make the institution strong and they need to work as a collective to do so. In the interests of Indian football, the show-cause issue should be put to bed as soon as possible. Stimac should focus on the Asian Games, and not sit with lawyers while trying to draft a response. We need him on the pitch and not in a boardroom. Opportunities don’t come too often and when we do have one, we need to make the most of it. The sooner Indian football realises this, the better it is for us all.