Former Indian Football Team Coach Igor Stimac Secures ₹3.36 Crore Settlement After Contract Dispute With AIFF

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Former Indian men's football team coach Igor Stimac is set to receive a settlement of ₹3.36 crore (approximately $400,000) from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), after months of negotiations following his contract termination.

Stimac, who had been leading the Indian team since 2019, was dismissed on June 17, 2023, after India failed to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Stimac, a Croatian international and former World Cup player, had initially demanded ₹7.72 crore (approximately $920,000) from the AIFF, which he claimed was the amount owed to him under the terms of his contract.

His contract with the Indian football team was supposed to run until June 2026, entitling him to ₹25.19 lakh (nearly $30,000) per month until June 2025, followed by ₹33.6 lakh (approximately $40,000) per month for the next year. However, after prolonged discussions, Stimac agreed to reduce his demand to ₹3.36 crore.

The settlement marks the first time an Indian football coach has been compensated for what was claimed to be an unjust termination. AIFF had initially offered Stimac three months' salary as compensation, but he refused the offer and escalated the issue to FIFA in August 2023.

Throughout the process, negotiations were handled via phone and email, led by AIFF's deputy secretary-general, Satyanarayan Muthyalu, and the newly appointed secretary-general, Anilkumar Prabhakaran.

Despite several offers from the AIFF to settle for lower amounts, including approximately ₹3 crore, Stimac held firm at ₹3.36 crore. In late August, he made a final offer to the AIFF, stating that he would accept ₹3.36 crore as a full settlement, significantly reducing his initial demand to expedite the resolution.

AIFF's executive committee approved the payout during a virtual meeting, and the documents were signed on Stimac's birthday. Stimac's departure came with strong criticism of the state of Indian football.

In a virtual press conference, he expressed disappointment with the AIFF, stating that football in India was "imprisoned" and would take decades to improve. His replacement, Manolo Marquez, has since taken over as head coach of the Indian men's football team.