Igor Stimac's Request For Early Release Of National Players For Training Camps Backed By Coach Sanjoy Sen

Igor Stimac, the Croatian head coach of India’s men’s football team, recently put forward a request to all the stakeholders of the game, especially the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, to release players in time so that the Blue Tigers can have longer national camps in November and December to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Terming Stimac’s proposal as the “right thing at the right time”, Sanjoy Sen, who coached Mohun Bagan to the I-League title after 13 years in 2014-15  besides winning the Federation Cup in the same year, told IANS that similar requests were made by national coaches earlier as well.

Sen was the technical director of ISL club ATK in 2018-19, before becoming the team’s assistant coach in 2019-20 and 2020-21. Currently, Sen is the head of youth development at Mohun Bagan.

“See, the question is not whether it is a valid request. Stimac seems to have made this request from two angles — firstly, going by the team’s impressive performance in recent times… The team is in a flow now. While India may not have defeated many high-ranking teams, winning three tournaments with international teams participating in them speaks of India’s success.

“Secondly, a new management has come to power. Considering all these factors, Stimac has made the request to the clubs.

“However, this is not the first time that a coach has made such a request, as earlier also such requests were made. Now it’s up to the franchises and club owners… We have to see how much they feel for the national team.

“As a coach, Stimac will always want the team to do well. It is also evident that the coach is looking for an extension of his contract. So, his request will put both the club owners and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in a dilemma,” Sen told IANS.

The former coach also believes that football lovers, who want Indian football to grow and are impressed by the team’s recent successes, will always support Stimac’s request for players to spend more time together for better coordination and conditioning.

“So, Stimac has chosen the right time to pitch his request. In fact, had I been the coach, I would have asked for the same thing,” Sen told IANS.

However, Sen isn’t sure how the clubs will react to the head coach’s request and cited examples of international clubs expressing unwillingness in releasing players for national duty.

“We have seen top foreign clubs expressing anguish when asked to release players for national duty for a longer period. But for a larger interest, one should accept such requests.

“However, as I have just said, the clubs will see their interests too. Recently, I have seen in the media that clubs have shown unwillingness over releasing players. But these are media reports and I have no idea how true they are.

“It is all about how the club owners and how their coaches look at it. See, presently most clubs appoint foreign coaches. So the coach, who is seeking early release of players, and most of his club counterparts who will take the final decision, are all foreign coaches. It needs to be seen how much they care about Indian football,” Sen said.

However, as far as AIFF’s intervention is concerned, Sen has doubts as to how much the Federation can do in this matter.

“We all know how much influence those who are running the Indian Super League (ISL) have. Same for AIFF. So, there is nothing new to say,” Sen rued.

He also praised Stimac for his efforts and for extracting the best out of the national players. However, he feels the actual evaluation can be made only once India plays in the AFC championship and World Cup qualifiers.

“While I haven’t worked with him (Stimac), I follow his coaching style like any other coach would do. He comes from a country (Croatia) where the standard of football is very high. Croatia’s football has developed greatly in the past 10 years. He himself was an international footballer and has played alongside some great players.

“While I feel he is extracting the best out of our footballers, India’s performance in the AFC championship and the World Cup qualifiers will determine how good a coach he is,” Sen concluded.