(New Delhi) The Indian Football Federation on Monday accused Igor Stimac of using an astrologer to choose his players after dismissing him from his post as coach following his failure in qualifying for the World Cup .
The former Croatian international defender, starter at the 1998 World Cup, had tumultuous relations with the Indian Football Federation (AIFF) during his five years at the head of the “Blue Tigers”.
Defeat against Qatar earlier this month ended India’s dreams of reaching the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and his contract was terminated last week.
At his latest press conference, Stimac, 56, said he had undergone heart surgery due to stress and had fought against “lies” and people with “private interests” during his mandate, marked by several controversies.
In 2023, a media outlet reported that he had used an astrologer to choose his Indian teams, a claim which at the time the ex-West Ham player called a “disgrace”.
But the AIFF said in a statement on Monday that it was “shocked to note its reliance on an astrologer to determine player call-ups (and) team selections”, which is not not unlike the former France coach Raymond Domenech, who admitted to using the astrological signs of his players in his choices.
According to the authority, the former Croatia coach damaged him with “negative statements”. “Mr. Stimac’s communication –– apparently made with the sole aim of slandering the AIFF and showing its staff in a bad light – is not worthy of a professional who has served the organization for over five years “, she stressed.
“This behavior only reinforced the AIFF’s belief that the decision to terminate his contract was rightly made.”
Stimac, who played in a World Cup semi-final with Croatia in 1998, became India coach in 2019.
It qualified it for this year’s Asian Cup, where it lost all three matches. The national team of India, a country that former FIFA president Sepp Blatter called the sport’s “sleeping giant”, is ranked 124e at the World level.