India's former football team Coach Igor Stimac took help of astrologer to pick players, alleges AIFF

India's football federation has reportedly sacked coach Igor Stimac after their World Cup qualifying failure, accusing him of using an astrologer to pick players. Stimac, who had a turbulent relationship with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) during his five-year tenure, was dismissed following India's defeat to Qatar earlier this month, which ended their hopes of reaching the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

In his final press conference, the 56-year-old former West Ham and Croatian international defender claimed he had undergone heart surgery due to stress and battled against “lies” and people with “private interests” during his time as coach. The AIFF responded by criticizing Stimac’s remarks.

"Mr. Stimac's communication – apparently made with the sole intent of maligning the AIFF and showing its personnel in poor light – is not befitting of a professional who has served the organisation for over five years," said the AIFF in a statement.


"This conduct has only reinforced the AIFF's belief that the right decision was made, with just cause, to terminate his contract."

Stimac became India’s coach in 2019. During his tenure, India briefly broke into the top 100 of FIFA's world rankings for only the second time in nearly three decades. However, his term was also marked by controversy.

A media report in 2023 alleged that Stimac used an astrologer to pick his India teams, a claim that Stimac at the time called a “disgrace”. The AIFF addressed this in their statement.

"The AIFF has been shocked to note his dependence on an astrologer to determine player's call-ups (and) team selections," the AIFF said, adding that they had to step in to stop it.

Under Stimac’s guidance, India qualified for the Asian Cup at the start of this year but lost all three games. India, once hailed as "a sleeping giant" of football by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, is currently ranked 124th in the world.

(Inputs from AFP)