Igor Stimac says had heart surgery due to stress from Indian football coaching job

Former head coach Igor Stimac has said in his outgoing press conference that he had to get urgent heart surgery due to the stress of managing the Indian football team. In a bombshell press conference, Stimac made several allegations against the All India Football Federation and said that the body failed to recognise that FIFA World Cup Qualifiers were bigger than the Asian Cup.

The Croatian revealed that he was given a final warning before the Asian Cup for trying to convince the AIFF about the importance of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Stimac said that the meeting resulted in him going to the hospital and getting urgent surgery done because he could not take the stress.

“After I told them that the World Cup Qualifiers were more important than Asian Cup. I received final warning from AIFP. When I received the final warning on December 2. no one knows this, I finished in the hospital. I was disturbed with everything going on; stressed from the obvious problems. I had an immediate surgery on my heart. I wasn’t ready to speak to anyone or find excuses. I was ready to put myself on the line to prepare my team for the Asian Cup to give the best shot,” Igor Stimac said in the press conference on Friday, June 21.

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“Not surprised about parting ways. Most of my senior players knew I had decided to leave even after had qualified for the third round. It was impossible for me to go on without proper support, full of lies and people who had only private interests,” he further added.

Igor Stimac had earlier promised that he would reveal a lot of things about the worrying state of Indian football. In his Twitter post, the Croatian thanked the Indian football fans and the team management for their support throughout his struggle-filled 5-year tenure with the side. After an important virtual meeting between head officials at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on June 17, the board came up with the decision to close Stimac’s chapter with the Indian team after a string of lacklustre performances.