Balkan crisis to coach of India, Igor Stimac's journey
CHENNAI: He’s known for many things in football — a protagonist in one of the most consequential matches ever (from a geopolitical perspective), a member of Croatia’s unlikely 1998 World Cup semifinalists and the manager who took them to the 2014 World Cup but left his post before the tournament. And once All India Football Federation (AIFF) officially announces it, Igor Stimac will also have the post of India’s football coach on his resume.
The Croatian was AIFF technical committee’s pick after they interviewed four shortlisted candidates. The other men were former Sweden U-23 coach Hakan Ericson, former Bengaluru FC boss Albert Roca, and South Korea’s U-23 assistant manager Lee Min-sung. Curiously, only Stimac was present in person. The others were interviewed via Skype by a panel that included AIFF’s new technical director Isac Doru.
“We talked to all candidates today and we were impressed with Stimac,” committee head Shyam Thapa said. “We got the chance to talk to him for a good 45 minutes.” Stimac’s appointment will be made official after final clearance from the executive committee.
The highlight of Stimac’s coaching career was when he managed Croatia in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. After taking over from Slaven Bilic in 2012, Stimac’s team finished second in the group, qualifying for the playoffs. However, he resigned before the two-legged tie against Iceland and his replacement (current Bayern Munich manager) Nico Kovac would lead the team to victory.
Stimac’s playing career was more eventful. He was one of the leaders of the Croatian squad that made the 1998 World Cup semis. He formed an impressive defensive partnership with Bilic, playing every minute of the knockout rounds. He also played in Premier League with Derby County and West Ham United.
But the match that he will forever be remembered for is the 1991 Yugoslav Cup final which was played out amidst the imminent disintegration of the Balkan country. That was the last match ever played between a Croatian and Serbian club in a Yugoslav tournament. Stimac was captain of the Croatian club Hajduk Split who faced Serbian club Red Star Belgrade on their home turf.
The team travelled down to Belgrade in a military plane and the situation was so tense that Hajduk’s away support reportedly consisted of two fans. The match itself soon disintegrated into chaos with Stimac getting into a brawl with his opposite number Sinisa Mihajlovic and both players getting sent off. Hajduk would win the match thanks to a winner from Alen Boksic and a month-and-a-half later, Croatia would declare independence from Yugoslavia. The trophy they won would never be returned.
Years later, fate would bring Stimac and Mihajlovic together. The pair found themselves managing their respective countries when the two Balkan rivals played an international for the first time in 2013.