Igor Stimac criticizes Indian football legend IM Vijayan, says he shouldn't be presiding over AIFF technical committee

Igor Stimac, who was relived of his duties as the head coach of the Indian men's national team on June 17, hosted a tell-all virtual conference on Friday. He expressed frustration with the workings of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

His vehement criticism wasn't just reserved for AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, but the Croatian also lashed out at AIFF Technical Committee chairperson and Indian football legend IM Vijayan.

"IM Vijayan was a fantastic player but he shouldn't be the one presiding over the technical committee," Stimac remarked.

Criticizing the absence of technical committee members during team camps, the 56-year-old explained:

"I told the AIFF president that during each camp we should have one of the TC members present to observe our work and what we provide our players. You think they sent someone? No one was there."

Meanwhile, Igor Stimac's remarks come amidst his dismissal from the head coaching role, a decision made after India's disappointing performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

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AIFF to respond to Igor Stimac's comment in the next 48 hours

Hours after the scathing critism of the federation and many of it's officials from Igor Stimac, the AIFF responded with a statement, reading:

"It has come to our attention that former India men’s team head coach Mr. Igor Stimac has made certain remarks in the media pertaining to functioning of the All India Football Federation and some of its senior officials. The AIFF will issue a statement in this regards in the next 48 hours."

The Croatian gaffer has levied plenty of harrowing allegations on the federation, president Chaubey, and other senior officials. While it remains to be seen how they plan to respond to the whole ordeal, ultimately it's Indian football that will bear the brunt of such public mud-slinging from the two stakeholders.

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