Igor Stimac, head coach of the Indian national football team, requested on Saturday that clubs and coaches in the Indian Super League (ISL) “release players” in order to prepare for the AFC U23 qualifiers, Asian Games, World Cup Qualifiers, and AFC Asian Cup. The Indian football team has been working extremely hard over the past few years, and Stimac posted a lengthy message on X (formerly known as Twitter) stating that they are currently at a “crucial junction.”
He said that in order to reach new levels of success he urged the ISL clubs to release the Indian players to prepare for the upcoming major tournaments that will be played during the final months of this year.
“A sincere request to all ISL Clubs. Indian Football is at a crucial junction right now. We’ve all worked very hard over the last few years to create a culture and build momentum to move towards our ultimate goals, and we need to continue working together and march forward,” Igor Stimac said.
“I urge all clubs to continue supporting our national teams, especially in the upcoming months packed with some major tournaments – AFC U23 qualifiers, Asian Games, World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup. We as a nation want to be able to put our best players on the pitch against the footballing giants of Asia and the World and show them that we are not to be taken lightly,” he continued.
Stimac added that the amount of work that the coaches and clubs have done to develop the players has reflected in their performances for the national team and he thanked them for their efforts.
He continued by saying that their inability to adequately prepare in advance is preventing them from performing well in the important tournaments that will be held in November and December.