AIFF sacks Igor Stimac as head coach of India men's football team with immediate effect

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has sacked Igor Stimac, head coach of the Indian men's football team, following the team's disappointing exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. India was defeated by Qatar 2-1 on June 11, which prevented them from advancing to the third round of the qualifiers.

AIFF sacks Igor Stimac

The decision to terminate Igor Stimac's contract was made by senior AIFF officials during a virtual meeting on June 16. The meeting was chaired by AIFF Vice President Mr. N. A. Haris and attended by Mr. Menla Ethenpa (Executive Committee Member and Chairperson, Finance Committee), Mr. Anilkumar Prabhakaran (Executive Committee Member and Chairperson, Competitions Committee), Mr. I. M. Vijayan (Chairman of the AIFF Technical Committee), Mr. Climax Lawrence (Member of the AIFF Technical Committee), and Mr. M. Satyanarayan (Acting Secretary General).

“Noting the disappointing outcome of the Senior Men’s National Team's FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, the members unanimously agreed that a new Head Coach would be best placed to take the team forward,” the AIFF said in a statement on June 17.  

“The meeting instructed the Acting Secretary General Mr. Satyanarayan to notify the current Head Coach Mr. Igor Stimac of its decision to terminate his engagement. Pursuant to the above, a notice of termination has been issued to Mr. Stimac by the AIFF Secretariat, and he stands relieved of his obligations with immediate effect,” the statement read. 

Igor Stimac, who took over as head coach of the Indian team in 2019, succeeding Stephen Constantine, has led the team to three major titles. During his tenure, India clinched the SAFF Championship, the Tri-Nations Series, and the Intercontinental Cup last year.