Indian Football Team‘s FIFA World Cup qualifiers have come to an end with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Asian Champions Qatar. While India did put up a spirited fight, it just was not meant to be. However, the onus now falls on head coach Igor Stimac, who was ‘extremely confident’ of making history with the Indian Team. So now will he keep his promise and quit?
Will Igor Stimac finally step down?
While India has shown some positive glimpses today, that has not been the case throughout the campaign. Yes, India did begin their FIFA World Cup Qualifiers journey with an away win against Kuwait, but things have gone downhill ever since.
A poor Asian Cup campaign, a 3-0 loss to Qatar, and two disappointing outings against Afghanistan both away and in Guwahati, but coach Igor Stimac remained oblivious to all. Instead of discussing the major issues, the Croat kept throwing a challenge on how he would quit if India failed to make it through. Now that, India has been rendered out, is he going to step down and acknowledge his shortcomings?
Did the referee’s mistake in India vs Qatar change everything
No, as bad as it sounds, India weren’t going to go through because they are simply not good enough. While the referee’s mistake in the India vs Qatar game did cost India a point, the same cannot be said for India’s chances of qualifying. Even if we take out the first goal scored by Yousef Ayemen, the second goal India conceded was legit. On the other hand, Kuwait claimed a narrow win over Afghanistan to make their way to the 3rd round of the qualifiers.
So, to sum up, the players, the coach, and the federation have failed together to repay the hope and support of the fans. They braved heat and rain, they crowdfunded TIFOs and banners and what not to stand by the “other” Men in Blue. Thus, it is high time that they acknowledge their failures and step up to do the right things.
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