Indian National Football team head coach Igor Stimac signs contract extension till AFC Asian Cup 2023

The All India Football Federation on Tuesday (October 4) announced that the head coach of the Indian national football team, Igor Stimac has signed a contract extension till the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

The Technical Committee of the AIFF approved the extension of Stimac last month. The decision for the same was approved by the Executive Committee of the AIFF.

It was also mentioned by the Technical Committee that the contract of the head coach would be renewed automatically after the team qualifies for the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

In a statement by AIFF's media team, Stimac expressed his delight at signing the contract extension. He said:

"I am extremely happy that the AIFF has placed the trust in the process that we have put in. We have had a very good run in the qualifiers, and we want to make sure that we keep building ourselves up till the Asian Cup and give a good account of ourselves in the continental stage."

The Croatian has also set his targets for the 2023 Asian Cup. The Indian national football team head coach intends on making further improvements in the build-up to the competition. He added:

"Now that we have ensured qualification, we must make sure that we keep improving and finding our best combination till the Asian Cup. Again, it is not an easy process, and there will be plenty of pain on the way, but if we can stick to the proper procedure and not take shortcuts, we can achieve our target of making it to the knockout rounds."

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A forward momentum expected from the Indian national football team

Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran, the Secretary General, shared his views on Stimac's contract extension in a statement by the AIFF media team. He said:

"The new team in AIFF would like to see a forward momentum for the national team and we are determined to rebuild it with a fresh approach by developing a new plan exclusively for senior national team."

Dr. Prabhakaran added that the apex body of the Indian national football team will ensure that a positive scenario is created in the national team for the development of the sport.