Responded to the club vs nation issue : Igor Stimac
The ISL clubs have maintained that they are not required to release the players because the training camp takes place outside of the dates set aside by FIFA for the national teams.
Igor Stimac, the coach of India, has once more pleaded with the Indian Super League (ISL) teams to release the players so they can train for the Asian Games, the World Cup qualifiers, and the Asian Cup. He has warned that the “most difficult period is in front of us” and that it will be challenging.
The former Croatian defender and coach claimed in an interview with The Indian Express that he wasn’t “afraid of telling the truth” and hadn’t come to India “to lick asses.”
“I didn’t come to India to lick a**es, excuse my language now. To aid, I traveled to India. I’ve got to be honest with you if you want my assistance. You can either accept it and work with me to solve the issues, or you can tell me that nothing will change and that I should go home with a smile and our friendship will continue.
“You’re telling me we can’t manage to adapt the calendar to ensure that the national team has adequate time to work? We have the best brains in the world here in India. Or do you have any other interests? I have no issues saying it because it is the truth. Whoever want to refute me publicly may do so by engaging in discussion with me and stating the primary issue.
Stimac’s remarks came amid a growing divide between the leading clubs and the management of the national team over the release of players for India duty.
From the King’s Cup competition in Thailand to the Asian U-23 qualifiers in China, where the team will also compete in the Asian Games beginning on September 19, India will be in action often starting the following week.
India will participate in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in October, while the joint qualifications for the 2026 World Cup and Asian Cup will start in November and January, respectively.
But there are many obstacles in the way. Over the weekend, India’s under-23 team started practicing for the qualifiers, but more than half of the players didn’t show up. The camp had previously been postponed once because the clubs wouldn’t let players go.
Only 12 of the 25 players for the U-23 India team showed up for training on Sunday, according to coach Clifford Miranda, who spoke to PTI. Top teams like East Bengal, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City, Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC, and Punjab FC did not send any players.
The clubs contend that they are not required to release the players because the training camp takes place outside of the dates set aside by FIFA for the national teams.
Stimac, who is currently in Croatia and will travel to Thailand to join the team for the King’s Cup on September 2, is concerned that a similar situation may develop for the Asian Games and then the Asian Cup.
The three over-23 players for India’s Asian Games squad are defender Sandesh Jhingan, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and talisman Sunil Chhetri. There are still uncertainties on whether they will ultimately participate in the competition, as well as other members of the team. India was placed in Group D with the hosts China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, who are all close neighbors.
“The most challenging time is ahead of us. And without pointing fingers, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL, the organization in charge of the ISL) are not to blame for the pandemic, the postponement of the Asian Games and Asian Cup, or the scheduling of those competitions in the middle of the year without more thorough planning and discussion. Therefore, the majority of nations and all coaches are dealing with issues alongside the clubs, according to Stimac.
But I’m concerned because the majority of these nations have found a method to give the national team enough time to practice and prepare well, Stimac continued. And we still claim that we cannot accomplish it.
According to sources in the ISL, the Asian Games were not a major priority for the team administration at the beginning of the year when India’s overseas commitments were being finalized, including Stimac.
‘It is not the truth,’ Stimac remarked. How can one coach claim something isn’t significant? That’d be foolish. I specifically stated that I was willing to give up the FIFA window in September and October in order to have a four-week camp before the Asian Cup and a two-week break before the World Cup qualifiers in November. What I stated was that. We were unaware that the Asian Games would be taking place in September at the time. That is a lie, then.
The topic of club vs. nation is not new, and neither is the suggestion that India boycott the September and October FIFA window in favor of ISL. The team is unbeaten this year, but India’s recent success has highlighted the need of holding lengthy training camps before a competition, as was the case for the Intercontinental Cup and the South Asian Football Championship.
The coaching staff and the players have frequently asked for prolonged camps because the competition at the Asian Games, World Cup qualifications, and the Asian Cup will be significantly stronger.
The clubs, according to Stimac, must grasp the wider picture. “I am aware that players must belong to clubs and participate in club competitions. However, when it comes to our main objectives, you see, we aim to reach the top eight or top ten in Asia in the following four years. How will we travel there? How are we going to get there without devoting time and cooperating if we are now two levels below the nations in the top-8?
How are we going to get there, considering that these nations invest a hundred times more in football than we do? by the enchanted sword? It’s not here. We are unable to obtain it through Asia’s smallest league.
