The Indian Football Association on Monday accused its former coach of using an astrologer to select his players.
A serious mistake. Igor Stimac, who was sacked from his post as India coach a few days ago after failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, would have called in an astrologer to select his players.
In 2023, a media outlet reported this claim, which the former West Ham player described at the time as a “disgrace”. But the AIFF said in a statement on Monday that it was “shocked that it had to rely on an astrologer to determine player call-ups (and) team selection.” “. This practice is reminiscent of former French team coach Raymond Domenech, who admitted to taking his players' astrological signs into account when making decisions.
The AIFF responds to Mr Igor Stimac's recent comments, condemning them as attempts to denigrate the federation. Despite serving as head coach for more than five years with the full support of AIFF, his conduct led to his contract termination. We stand by our decision and prioritize Indian… pic.twitter.com/bTcnKa1PXb
– Football News India (@fni) June 24, 2024
According to the authorities, the former Croatia coach harmed him with “negative comments”. “Mr Stimac’s communications – apparently with the sole aim of defaming the AIFF and putting its employees in a bad light – are not worthy of a professional who has served the organization for more than five years,” she stressed. This behavior only strengthened the AIFF’s belief that the decision to terminate his contract was the right one.”
The former Croatia international defender, who became India's coach in 2019, had a turbulent relationship with the Indian Football Association during his five years at the helm of the Blue Tigers. He had qualified them for this year's Asian Cup, where they lost all three games. At his last press conference, Igor Stimac said he had undergone heart surgery due to stress and fought against “lies” and people with “private interests” during his term in office, which was marked by several controversies.
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