On Sunday, Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian national football team, issued a public statement in which he accused the Indian Super League organisers, FSDL, and the participating clubs of failing to release players for the upcoming Asian Games 2023, resulting in the national federation having to hastily assemble a makeshift squad at the last minute.
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Stimac did not provide any specific names during the virtual press conference prior to the team’s departure, however, he provided sufficient information regarding the individuals who hindered his and the AIFF’s ambition to assemble a strong team, which would include players from the current senior national team.
“If I knew that certain elements will stop us from going with the best possible team, I would have rather picked all the players from the I-League and request to train with them for two months and prepare with them for the Asian Games,” Stimac, who was visibly upset, said during the media interaction.
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“It would not have been much different,” he added, making clear what he thinks about the third-string players that ISL clubs have released.
AIFF hastily assembled the Indian squad at the last minute. The organisers of ISL, FSDL, did not accept a request to postpone the commencement of the league for a few days.
As a result, Stimac announced that the team would be playing its inaugural match in Asian Games 2023 against China on Tuesday without a single training session.
“We will reach there (Hangzhou) at 5pm (on Monday) and there will be no single training session prior to the game (next day). We have to discuss things with the players at the airport and during flight so that they take rest as soon as possible after reaching there and have some good sleep prior to the match,” Stimac added.
It has been a complete mess, not seen often in Indian sports. And certainly not expected after the sports ministry gave a special exemption to field the team in the Asian Games despite not fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
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