Coach sharing confidential details raises integrity issues: Former India players on Stimac consulting astrologer for team selection

Raising eyebrows over India coach Igor Stimac consulting an astrologer to pick the starting 11, former India internationals who have turned to coaching said it leads to integrity issues.

Reacting to The Indian Express report, which revealed that Stimac selected teams for the Asian Cup qualifiers last year on the advice of astrologer Bhupesh Sharma, who was paid lakhs by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), former players Gouramangi Singh and Steven Dias said confidential details about players should not have been shared with anyone outside the team management.

Gouramangi, a former India defender, added it was an issue of propriety. “More than player selection, the bigger issue is integrity. If the astrologer was given team lists, strategies, and other confidential details then it raises issues of propriety,” he told The Indian Express.

Last year, for Asian Cup qualifiers, #IndianFootball team was picked on advice of an astrologer.

Before each match, coach Igor Stimac shared players’ birth dates, timings and places with the astrologer, who was paid RS 12-15 lakh by the AIFF.https://t.co/BykBhPrSio

— Mihir Vasavda (@mihirsv) September 12, 2023

Dias, a former winger who is currently the coach of the Jamshedpur FC reserves, said there’s no way team selection should depend on anything else but player performance and team strategy.

“As a coach, I could never select a team based on astrological advice. I feel it’s not fair to the players. Moreover, sharing probable XI and team strategy with someone outside of the setup is absolutely wrong. You don’t know how that information can be used against you,” he said.

While Gouramangi was critical of sharing team lists, he said we cannot question a coach’s beliefs. “We cannot