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Indian football fraternity came together when it mattered, bringing about a successful change in the Sports Ministry's decision regarding the football team's participation at the 2023 Asian Games.
At the center of this achievement stood head coach Igor Stimac, who appealed to the higher authorities, advocating for opportunities for both the men's and women's teams. His sincere plea yielded fruitful results, as the football team is now all set to travel to China in September for the continental tournament.
Now that the decision has been confirmed, one can't help but ponder India's preparation for the upcoming tournament. Furthermore, the 2026 World Cup qualifiers pose a significant challenge for the Blue Tigers, as they will be facing tough opponents like Qatar and Kuwait.
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Nonetheless, head coach Stimac is up for the challenge and has a long-term vision to lead India to the World Cup someday. During an interaction with Revsportz, the Croatian tactician shared his aspirations to guide India on this remarkable journey.
"Let me make a confession," Stimac said. "Since the World Cup draw was made public, I have been extremely restless. I am obsessed with the vision of taking India to the World Cup. If you ask me one goal that I now have as coach, I will say it is to take the Indian senior men’s team to the World Cup. I know it is a long journey ahead and we aren’t there yet, but this is my real dream, and I will do everything I can to get closer to the dream."
Igor Stimac highlights what India must do in the upcoming months
While India’s World Cup hopes are arguably not realistic at the moment, Igor Stimac believes that the team will give it their all in the qualifiers.
Expanding on his thoughts about the Blue Tigers, it becomes evident that the boss is thoroughly dedicated and 'obsessed' with the notion of guiding India to the showpiece event.
"That’s why I said to you it is my dream. Every human being lives with a certain goal in mind," Stimac said. "They pursue that goal with single-minded focus. Whether or not they achieve it, they do their best to get there. My goal, and this has now turned into an obsession of sorts with me, is to take India to the World Cup."
Besides his determination to lead India to success and compete with Asia's top teams, Stimac has a well-defined strategy and concrete plans to accomplish this goal. He believes that the next few months will be crucial in preparation for the qualifiers, but also wants more time to work with the national setup.
"There are two things I need to tell you here. The first is if we want to come close to leading Asian football, and become as good as say Japan, Iran and Saudi (Arabia), then we need to provide our senior national team much more time for work than what these countries do at the moment and invest at least 50 per cent of what they do," Stimac continued.
"Second, if we don’t collectively make sure that the team gets enough time prior to the November FIFA window – The first (WCQ 2026) game away versus Kuwait, and then Qatar at home three days later – we are immediately out of the running. So it is of paramount importance to collectively put our best foot forward in the next three months," he added.
In terms of the Asian Cup, which is scheduled for January 2024, Igor Stimac assessed India’s opponents and their preparation level, further underscoring the necessity for sufficient time for the national setup to be ready for the demanding fixtures.
"Also, let me tell you this," the Croatian continued. "To keep our dreams for the Asian Cup alive, we need to look at what our opponents are doing. While I am not considering Australia, I am focused on Uzbekistan and Syria. As per my knowledge, and I can tell you this for certain, Uzbekistan will have minimum six weeks camp prior to the Asian Cup. Syria still haven’t decided what they will do. It should give you an idea what we need to do."
Stimac underlines his goals for the India national team for the next few years
Stimac has a clear plan after the positive results in the last few months, where they three trophies. He wants to develop a distinct footballing philosophy and has set the ambitious goal of reaching the top 80 in the FIFA rankings.
In addition to this, he has requested opportunities for Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) to represent the Indian national team, further enhancing the team’s potential.
"FIFA (rankings) Top 80, Asia Top 12. WC 2026 3rd round qualification. Apply the Senior National Team Philosophy to the U-19 and U-17 teams," Igor Stimac stated.
"And I want to do these things by following a few set templates: Provide senior national team players additional time to work with senior national team coaching staff during the year. By getting on board additional coaching and support staff for the senior national team. Performance coach/sports psychologist, Permanent match analyst, Use more sports science," he continued.
"I will also want to engage the AIFF on discussing the idea of excluding foreign players from the I-League," India's head coach added. "Finally, we should think of requesting the government to allow Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to represent India. These are some of what I am keen on, and will be following in the next phase."
Finally, Igor Stimac expressed his readiness to make sacrifices for Indian football. He also cited the importance of unity and collective efforts for continuous improvement if the nation is to establish itself as a powerhouse in Asian football.
"I am prepared for every kind of sacrifice," Stimac said. "Listen, if a country which is as passionate for football as India can make it to the pinnacle, can you imagine what it will be like?
"The Indian fans follow Messi and Modric as Gods. If they have their own stars who play in the World Cup, imagine what it can do to Indian football going ahead. I am ready for every sacrifice and every form of hard work to get there. All we need to do is work as a collective and pursue the ultimate goal."
India are certainly going in the right direction, but the next few months, where they will compete in the Asian Games, FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and the Asian Cup will hold paramount significance. Under the guidance of Stimac, the team will aim to sustain the positive momentum and continue moving in the right direction.
