Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Everybody will have to fight for place: India football coach Igor Stimac

Newly-appointed Indian football team coach Igor Stimac on Friday said all players, including the talismanic Sunil Chhetri, are equal and will have to fight for their place.

Stimac, who was part of Croatia's squad that finished third in the 1998 World Cup in France, is conducting a training camp for the national team probables in preparation for the King's Cup in Thailand.


"We speak every day. I speak with all our players every day. That's my approach. I need to do that. I need to get information from them," Stimac said in his first press conference.

"Of course, Sunil (Chhetri) is very valuable to our team. He is a role model to these young players who are knocking on the door. He has played so many games, he is so experienced, and has scored so many goals. But as well as others, he needs to fight for a place in the team.

"We all start from zero. Football is like that. You don't get anything for the past. You get paid for today's job. As successful you are today, tomorrow you get your chance once again."

With less than two weeks to go for Stimac's first assignment, he said that he was concerned about the defence, and the lack of options, particularly at centre-back.

"Over the next few months, my job will be to find more competitors for the centre-back position, which we are short on right now," Stimac said.

The 37-man preliminary squad, which is undergoing a camp at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, will be pruned to 23, by the time the team leaves for Thailand on June 1.

"In the next few days I have to decide on 25-26 players from this squad who will be the most valuable for this competition (King's Cup) and after that, the squad will be cut to 23."

Stimac was quizzed on the level of research he had done on India before accepting the job.

"I watched almost every ISL game, I have been informed about the young talents from the Indian Arrows.

"I recognised through my research about some players who didn't make it into Mr (Stephen) Constantine's squad, for whatever reason. But, I am here to give them the chance to prove themselves and show everyone how good they are," Stimac said.

Stimac said that he has so far focused on evaluating the fitness of the players.

"I am happy with the condition of most of the players, and now I will decide on the intensity of training over the next few days, which will be important to see who can cope up with the demands.

"The next few days we will be working on technical aspects and organisation on the pitch."

The 51-year-old Stimac said he was optimistic of doing "great things" for Indian football.

"As I have been involved in developing players in Croatia, I see this as a great chance to help the AIFF in organising and developing young talents who are coming up.

"There are many young players knocking on the door of the senior team and I see a great chance to keep improving the team and get results. I am happy with the quality I have seen and together, we can do great things."

He was also impressed with the attitude of the players in the camp.

"I expect not only from Sunil (but) from Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu), from (Sandesh) Jhingan as well to be a role model to young players in a positive way. And not in a negative way because they are the ones who are looked up to.

"Young players always look at what Sunil is doing, what Jhingan is doing. So I am quite happy with their behaviour until now and I strongly believe that we will work together as much as he (Sunil) did before," said Stimac.

More For You

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.

The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.

Three senior hospital staff arrested in Lucy Letby case probe

POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dan Houser new game

Fresh take on the open-world genre from one of its most influential creators.

YouTube/ Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption creator Dan Houser confirms new open-world game in development

Key points

  • Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser is developing a new open-world video game.
  • The game is set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a sci-fi audio series launched in 2023.
  • A Better Paradise is being adapted into a novel series, with the first volume due in October 2025.
  • Houser left Rockstar in 2020 and founded Absurd Ventures in 2021.
  • There is no confirmed release date for the game at this time.

Dan Houser, the acclaimed co-creator behind Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, has officially confirmed that his new company, Absurd Ventures, is developing a new open-world video game. The title will be set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a science fiction IP first introduced in audio format last year.

A new venture after Rockstar

Dan Houser, a founding figure at Rockstar Games, played a central role in writing and producing some of the studio’s most celebrated titles, including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto V, and Bully. After leaving Rockstar in 2020, he launched Absurd Ventures in 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh in a still from Sardaar Ji 3 set for overseas release only
IMDB

Diljit Dosanjh’s 'Sardaar Ji 3' becomes highest-grossing Indian film in Pakistan amid boycott in India

Quick highlights:

  • Sardaar Ji 3 rakes in £275,000 (₹3 crore) on opening day in Pakistan, surpassing Sultan.
  • Diljit Dosanjh responds to backlash: “When we shot the film, everything was fine.”
  • Film was not released in India due to controversy over Pakistani actress Hania Aamir’s casting.
  • Worldwide opening weekend collection touches £1.6 million (₹18.1 crore).

The Punjabi-language horror-comedy Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, has become the highest-grossing Indian film ever released in Pakistan. Despite being banned in India, the film grossed £275,000 (₹3 crore) on its opening day and £825,000 (₹9 crore) over the first weekend in Pakistan alone.

Keep ReadingShow less