The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday formed a five-member committee to hold discussions with under-fire national team coach Igor Stimac.
This was decided in a meeting, attended by president Kalyan Chaubey and other senior officials. NA Haris, vice-president of the federation, Menla Ethenpa, Anilkumar Prabhakaran, former India captain and technical committee chairperson IM Vijayan and Climax Lawrence are part of the committee.
On Thursday, the technical committee in a meeting had suggested that Stimac should be removed as head coach.
The Croat and the federation are facing a barrage of criticism after India’s dismal performance against Afghanistan (home and away) in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
Stimac’s initial contract, signed in October 2022, had a severance clause that provided for a three-month notice period. However, according to a source, the new contract (signed in October 2023 and which ends in June 2026) does not have this clause.
This has put the AIFF in a fix. If it wants to sack the Croat now it would have to shell out more than Rs 6 crore. Stimac draws a salary of Rs 25 lakh per month making him one of the most expensive foreign coaches engaged by the government.
The committee formed on Friday is expected to decide on Stimac’s future in a week.
