Fired Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian football team, made a shocking admission about his health after he was fired earlier this week. Following India’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Stimac was fired. He gave a goodbye press conference on Friday, June 21. The stress level during his tenure was shown when the Croatian coach disclosed that he underwent heart surgery while leading the Indian team.
“After I informed them that the Asian Cup was not as essential as the World Cup qualifiers. AIFP sent me one last warning. On December 2, when I got the last alert. Nobody is aware that I ended up in the hospital. Everything that was happening bothered and stressed me out. My heart was operated on right away. I wasn’t prepared to make excuses or talk to anyone. During the press conference, Igor Stimac stated, “I was prepared to put myself on the line to prepare my team for the Asian Cup to give it the best shot.”
After five years, the 56-year-old was fired by the Indian football team for failing to advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifying. India’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign ended with a 3rd place finish, following a contentious loss to Qatar in their last match. What ultimately proved to be the final straw for the Blue Tigers, though, was their March loss to Afghanistan.
Stimac performed admirably for India throughout his five-year tenure, moving the country up to the top 100 in the FIFA men’s rankings. In Bengaluru in 2023, he also assisted India in winning the SAFF Championship. But even with more sports for Asia in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for 2026, India was unable to get to the further stages of the competition.
India was 22nd in Asia and 124th in the FIFA rankings at the time of Stimac’s dismissal, underscoring his lack of success in the field after five years in charge.
