"I came to Indian football with an open heart. But your football is captive. It will take a few decades for things to get better, which I don't see happening," Stimac said in a virtual press conference. “The AIFF people don't know how to run a football house, they don't know how to organize a cup. These people only care about power.”
The former Croatian centre-back joined the team in 2019 and led them into the top 100 of the FIFA rankings for the first time. He also talked about recent bad luck including a controversial goal scored by Qatar in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. "If we had not lost in the King's Cup, against Malaysia in Merdeka and finally against Qatar, our team would still be in the top 100 and would have reached Round 3," Stimac said.
The former manager will now take a decision on his future, with more clarity on this after the conclusion of the European Championship. He then revealed that he had to undergo heart surgery after a meeting with the board, in which he tried to explain the importance of prioritizing qualifiers over the Asia Cup.
"When I told them that the World Cup qualifiers were more important than the Asian Cup. I got the final warning from the AIFF. When I got the final warning on December 2. No one knew it, I was in the hospital.
"I was upset by everything that was happening; stressed by the obvious problems. I had urgent heart surgery. I wasn't ready to talk to anyone or find excuses. I pushed myself to get my team ready. Ready to put it on the line to give the best shot for the Asian Cup,” Stimac concluded.
The former Croatian centre-back joined the team in 2019 and led them into the top 100 of the FIFA rankings for the first time. He also talked about recent bad luck including a controversial goal scored by Qatar in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. "If we had not lost in the King's Cup, against Malaysia in Merdeka and finally against Qatar, our team would still be in the top 100 and would have reached Round 3," Stimac said.
The former manager will now take a decision on his future, with more clarity on this after the conclusion of the European Championship. He then revealed that he had to undergo heart surgery after a meeting with the board, in which he tried to explain the importance of prioritizing qualifiers over the Asia Cup.
"When I told them that the World Cup qualifiers were more important than the Asian Cup. I got the final warning from the AIFF. When I got the final warning on December 2. No one knew it, I was in the hospital.
"I was upset by everything that was happening; stressed by the obvious problems. I had urgent heart surgery. I wasn't ready to talk to anyone or find excuses. I pushed myself to get my team ready. Ready to put it on the line to give the best shot for the Asian Cup,” Stimac concluded.