Stimac not happy with number of foreign players in ISL, I-League matches

National football team he coach Igor Stimac is t happy with more foreign players featuring in a match in Indian Super League and I-League, saying it was coming in way of country producing a future Sunil Chhetri. Stimac said ISL and I-League, country's first and second-tier leagues, should follow Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) policy of allowing a maximum of four foreign players in a match inste of five permitted by m currently.

"My suggestion for top tier (league) in country is to follow AFC rule of 3+1, that's basic rule for number of foreign players. It's t strange that that most successful Asian countries are following that rule and that is why y are successful," Stimac said at a media briefing here."That is why y have option for national team to have strikers, offensive midfielders and centre-backs," he ded.

Currently, ISL and I-League teams can field five foreign players at a given time in a match. On or hand, AFC Champions League competition rules state that "each participating club may register four foreign players but at least one must have nationality of an AFC member association".Stimac said in current situation, it was difficult to get replacement for star striker Chhetri."We will never find a replacement for Chhetri if situation is like this. We cant take someone who has never played as a striker and put him in national team. Where am I going to find a striker? Even in I-League, re are five foreign players."We don't have (Indian) strikers in I-League. Only Indian Arrows is putting (striker) Vikram (Pratap Singh) to play. We are in a big problem. We need to start changing things in favour of national team." Croatian said "it would be ideal to merge two leagues (ISL and I-League)".

Indian team is out of reckoning for a 2022 World Cup berth but Stimac said country will have a chance to qualify for 2026 edition."To wake up India in football, we need national team success. And re is a big chance in front of us, 2026 World Cup. re will be 48 countries involved, which means re will be ar 3-4-5 places for Asian countries to participate," he coach said."We have four years to prepare ourselves and be in top 8 in Asia," he ded. Stimac said he did t have any information about cancellation of national camp in Bhubaneswar, ahe of ir World Cup qualifier against Qatar on March 26, due to outbreak of vel coronavirus.

World football governing body FIFA on Thursday proposed postponing all upcoming 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Cup qualifiers, including India's home game against Qatar, due to rising coronavirus threat."We are focused with proceedings with camp as we have official information on what is going to happen. Some games have been cancelled. We have calendar till end of year, but it is t in our hands (on hat will happen)," he said."I was excited about calendar which was me, using April and May for preparation, going to Turkey to play five friendly games, and w everything is air (due to coronavirus)," he signed off.