Former Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac, who was sacked on Monday following India’s exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers’ second round, penned an emotional letter to the players and fans of the Blue Tigers.

Stimac’s contract to helm the Blue Tigers was terminated by the AIFF in the days following the 2-1 defeat to Qatar that knocked the men in blue out of contention for a historic third-round appearance in the qualifiers of the FIFA showpiece and the Croat issued a statement to the federation to settle all his dues within the next ten days on Tuesday.

However, he did not let the tussle with AIFF sour the bond he shares with the players and fans of the team as he described in the heartfelt letter.

“To all Indian football fans and my blue tigers, it’s been an honour to serve you over the last five years. I didn’t expect to form such a strong bond with this country and be so personally invested when I first joined you all,” Stimac began.

“I am proud of every player and team member. Together we were able to create an environment of hope and belief, we pushed each other physically and mentally to play fearless, intelligent football, which required a lot of courage and effort,” he added.

He touched upon who close India were to making progress in the qualifiers, but a terrible call from the referee during India’s do-or-die clash against Qatar turned the tide of things and knocked India out.

Stimac added that all the stakeholders needed to be on the same page in order for the sport to grow in the nation and for the national side to scale higher levels.

“Not just me but the entire country acknowledges the type of game and character you intended to display every time you stepped on the pitch. We were very close to taking the next step but to make that happen, everyone needs to be on board,” the 56-year-old said.

“Not only the players on the pitch and the team staff members but also the ones sitting in the offices,” he added.

He elucidated the challenges the players fought to overcome including a ban from the world body, and the pandemic crisis  to name a few.

“We survived the FIFA ban, the administrators running the football house, two years of pandemic,” the Croat added.

He signed off by thanking the players for their efforts and stated that India will forever hold a place of prominence in his heart.

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