New Delhi: Senior Indian men's national football team head coach Igor Stimac will continue with his role to focus on the 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar.
India suffered a jolt in their quest for a place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers when the side went down to Afghanistan 1-2 last month.
The committee constituted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey to hold discussions with Stimac had a virtual meeting with the Croat on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Stimac was asked to clarify his recent statement about resigning if India failed to qualify for Round 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
"A year ago, I said that we would try and qualify for Round 3 and currently we are second in the group and two teams qualify. We will discuss this issue further after the match against Kuwait on June 6, 2024," the coach said in the meeting.
"The game against Kuwait on June 6 will be one of the biggest days in Indian football, as a win will immensely brighten our chances to qualify for Round 3 for the first time. The staff and the players are all aware of this historic moment that awaits us, and we will do everything in our capacity to win,” Stimac told in the meeting.
"Fruitful discussions were had with the AIFF committee members. I appreciate everyone’s concern and hope we will join together to create history in June," said the head coach.
The coach was told focus on the games ahead and plan his preparation accordingly.
