Igor Stimac set to remain head coach of Indian men's football team

Football Federation’s (AIFF) new technical committee recommended on Sunday that the former Croatian world cupper’s tenure as head coach of the senior national team be extended up to the continental showpiece next year. In another significant move, the IM Vijayan-led committee also suggested that Indian Arrows’ participation in the I-League should be discontinued because of the difficulty in fulfilling the AFC Licensing criteria. The AIFF executive committee, which will sit here on Monday, is expected to put its formal approval on these recommendations. This will be Stimac’s third contract extension since he took charge of the national team in May 2019. The coach is currently in the city, guiding the side in its preparations for India’s upcoming friendlies against Vietnam and Singapore. The move to keep him in charge of the team came close on the heels of his meeting with AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey. Soon after Stimac guided India to the main round of Asian Cup in June here, he set conditions for continuing as coach, stressing that the national team players must spend more time together and calling for changes in domestic football. It now seems that the new AIFF dispensation is in favour of overhauling the domestic structure. As part of this exercise, the federation has decided to withdraw Indian Arrows’ participation from the I-League.

Money, used for nurturing and promoting what has been known as the AIFF’s development side will now be invested in creating a new Elite Youth League in the country. While Stimac will remain the head coach, Indian football is set to go 'desi' under the presidentship of Chaubey. It has been decided that domestic coaches will now be employed in every age group, so that they can play “a