Indian Football Team, AIFF Slammed For Brazil Friendly: "Day Of Embarrassment"
Former Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac believes that the upcoming friendly clash against Brazil could turn into a "day of embarrassment".
- Ex-India football head coach Igor Stimac said the friendly vs Brazil could turn be a "day of embarrassment"
- "India playing against Brazil or Argentina, this can only be a day of embarrassment," Stimac said
- "You are at the bottom of world football, not far away from that," he added
Former Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac believes that the upcoming friendly clash against Brazil could turn into a "day of embarrassment". Stimac also slammed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for choosing to withdraw the FIFA ASEAN Cup in order to prioritise the match against Brazil. India are all set to take on Brazil in a high-profile friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 3. However, Stimac called the withdrawal a 'marketing move' and urged the AIFF to fix the domestic football calendar first before organising a friendly match against the five-time World Cup champions.
"You need to synchronise the league, and the club with the national team needs.That's what I was telling you from the very beginning. Because you are at the bottom of world football, not far away from that."
"And to start working precisely on what is needed to rise, you need to synchronise local leagues, which are your base, with the national team's needs. The tournaments which are organised and you decide to participate in so you can be effective there and get the points and the rankings through those tournaments and the games."
"India playing against Brazil or Argentina, this can only be a day of embarrassment," Stimac told Sports Now.
Stimac went on to speak about Lionel Messi's visit to India in 2025 and pointed out the huge amount of money spent during that tour. "I could see Lionel Messi going there, and everything is nice, and so many people are gathering to see him, to be close, to take photos and all that. How much money did you spend on that? Was that money needed for football development or things like that? "I mean, some crazy things are going on there about decision-making," he said.
He also slammed the decision to not play in the ASEAN Cup in order to face Brazil.
"It's just a marketing move. Nothing to do with football development. I don't see anything good coming out of that."
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