Kolkata: India is still “we”, the players, “our boys”. Igor Stimac may have settled with All India Football Federation (AIFF) but he hasn’t separated from the country he coached for over five years. Explains why he saw India play in the Intercontinental Cup. But some things have shifted for good. Like returning to work in India. That door, in his words, is closed.

“I am not old and still very ambitious. If you don’t stand a chance of winning something at the Asian level, then what’s the point? As I have always said, I am less interested in money. I am interested in creating something good,” Stimac, 57, told HT over the phone from Zagreb on Wednesday.

Stimac may not care too much about money — he once offered to pay for training equipment and had worked without a raise for four years in India — but it was not why he accepted $400,000 as compensation having moved FIFA seeking $920,000. Which was two years’ wages because he claimed he had been sacked without just cause.

“I did it this way because now I can look at offers. I could have gone on and got all the money but then, negotiating with other parties would become very difficult,” he said. “For me it was not about losing a certain amount of money…the AIFF president (Kalyan Chaubey) didn’t understand that when I asked for some time after which I said would leave without any compensation.”

Stimac was sacked in June after India failed to qualify to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. At the time, Stimac said, “he was very far in negotiations for another job.” That didn’t materialise and he has got AIFF to pay a hefty sum but it is not how he wanted things to end. “I would rather I had left on good terms. I have never closed the door anywhere.”

His time as head coach, Stimac said, feels like a missed opportunity for India. “The future will show how right I was,” he said. “I was clear about what needs to be done to get in a good place but not many who run football cared. We played some wonderful games and I had a wonderful time with the players many of whom still keep in touch.

“We also went through a difficult period during the reconstruction of the team which meant giving opportunities to many youngsters, helping them understand what international football is. We created a team which had the capacity to play good football against stronger opponents.”

Under Stimac, India moved back into the top 100 in FIFA rankings, won three successive tournaments at home in 2023, took Iraq to penalties and beat Kuwait away in the World Cup qualifiers, a first in over 20 years.

“But obviously when it was most needed, these people didn’t want to sacrifice a few weeks of ISL for the national team. So, what are you going to do? Let someone else try, maybe.”

Which is what Manolo Marquez is doing. Watching India draw 0-0 with Mauritius and lose 0-3 to Syria, Stimac said he felt for the coach and the players. “Manolo cannot change anything just as I couldn’t when I was not given time. Our boys are hardworking (but) the intensity of ISL is not even 50% of intensity of international football. And there are no foreign players to help. So, you are put in a situation where you cannot do well.

“And after each reversal, supporters will criticise either players or the coach. That is not where they should be pointing fingers.”

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