Former Indian men's football team coach Igor Stimac is all set to receive his settlement dues from the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF). The Croatian will be paid $400,000 (approximately ₹3.36 crore) after tax as per a report in the Hindustan Times. (More Football News)
Stimac was given a condition that his extension for the tournament with the Indian men's football team will depended on the latter's progress to the quarter-finals - a feat that has never been achieved.
India finished last in the group when they were in the 2011 and 2015 editions. The huge payout for Stimac means he will be leaving on his terms, states the report. The Croatian is also the first Indian coach to be compensated for what was a termination of his contract as what the former states.
Manolo Marquez replaced Stimac as the new Indian men's team coach. Stimac as removed from his post on June 17 after India failed to progress to the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Back then, the apex football body had offered Stimac three months' salary as compensation.
The 57-year-old had refused and moved his petition to FIFA in August claiming $920,000 (approx Rs 7.72 crore) as two years' salary from AIFF.
Despite that, the AIFF kept the negotiations going with Stimac over the phone and emails through their secretary-general Satyanarayan Muthyalu and new secretary-general Anilkumar Prabhakaran.
The former India coach refuted offers from the AIFF to settle for five and then 10 months' salary. As per the HT report, Stimac pointed out that he was to be paid as per his contract with the Indian football team. His contract ran till June 2026, and was reportedly to be paid $30,000 (nearly ₹25.19 lakh) per month till June 2025 and $40,000 ( ₹33.6 lakh approximately) every month for a year post that.
In June, Stimac held a virtual press-conference wherein he made allegations against the AIFF. Taking sharp digs at the football in India, Stimac said that the sport in India is imprisoned.
"I came with an open heart to Indian football. But your football is imprisoned. It will take a couple of decades for things to improve which I don't see happening," Stimac said in his virtual press conference.
"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.
