‘You can tell me we’re not going to change anything, please coach go home, and I will go home happily’: India football coach Igor Stimac on club vs country debate

Warning that the ‘most difficult period is in front of us’, India coach Igor Stimac has once again appealed to the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs to release the players in time to prepare for the Asian Games, the World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup.

In an interview with The Indian Express, the former Croatia defender and coach said he ‘didn’t come to India to lick a**es’ and wasn’t ‘afraid of telling the truth’.

“I didn’t, pardon my language now, come to India to lick a**es. I came to India to help. If you want my help, I need to tell you the truth. You can face it, you can help me to overcome the problems or you can tell me we’re not going to change anything, please coach go home, and I will go home happily and we’re going to stay friends.”

“We have the best brains in the world in India, you’re telling me we cannot manage to adjust the calendar to make sure that the national team has enough time to work? Or are there some other interests? I don’t have a problem with saying that because that’s the truth. Whoever wants to prove me wrong, he can come out publicly with me, debate and tell me what is the main problem?”

Stimac’s comments come amidst a widening rift between the top-tier clubs and the national team management over releasing players for India duties.

Starting next week, India will be in action frequently starting with the King’s Cup tournament in Thailand, followed by the Asian U-23 qualifiers in China, where the team will also compete in the Asian Games starting September 19. In October, India will compete in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia; the 2026 World Cup and Asian Cup joint qualifiers are scheduled to begin in November and the Asian Cup in January.

But there are roadblocks aplenty. Over the weekend,