Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Indian football coach: ‘Our goal is football World Cup qualifiers’

No results pressure for ‘outsiders; India at Asia Cup, says head coach Igor Stimac

Indian football coach: ‘Our goal is football World Cup qualifiers’

INDIA are entering the upcoming Asian Cup as “rank outsiders” and their goal is to go through to the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, head coach Igor Stimac said last Sunday (31).

The team are drawn in Group B with World Cup regulars Australia, strong central Asian side Uzbekistan and tricky Syria – all above Stimac’s team in the FIFA rankings – in the group stage of the Asian Cup.


“Obviously, we are rank outsiders in our group. Uzbekistan is one of the dark horses and a fantastic team, their players’ physicality could cause problems,” Stimac said.

“Australia are playing at the highest level of football and we all know what they are capable of… they are regular at World Cups and will mostly clear the group stage there.”

India landed in Qatar’s capital Doha last Saturday (30) ahead of the tournament which begins next week.

“This group is much stronger than the last Asian Cup. The most important thing for us is to have a good performance and ensure that we remain stable and in shape while playing. I am not putting any pressure on players about results.

“We need to find stability. We will try to play fearless football notwithstanding the teams we play against. I don’t mind the final results. Our final goal is to qualify for the third round of World Cup qualifiers.”

While this will be India’s fifth appearance in the AFC Asian Cup, the Blue Tigers have never made it past the group stage. They finishing runners-up in 1964, when the event was played in a round-robin format.

India will kick off their campaign against Australia next Saturday (13), followed by matches against Uzbekistan on January 18 and Syria (January 23). The team will play a warm-up game on Sunday (7) to assess where they stand in terms of preparation.

“Keeping in mind that all the other teams are in Dubai for three weeks already, we are trying to settle down to the climatic conditions and adjust in a proper way in the short time given to us,” Stimac said.

He said “no extra motivation” was needed for players to perform to the best of their abilities in a tournament of this magnitude. But injuries to some key players, such as Jeakson Singh, Glan Martins and Anwar Ali, have disturbed Stimac’s plans just before he was due to pick his final squad of 26.

“Things changed dramatically for us with injuries in recent times. Anwar Ali, Ashique Kuruniyan, Glan Martins and Jeakson Singh…we are going to miss them a lot,” he said.

“It is not easy to replace Anwar as he is one of the best defenders in Asia. Jeakson was providing us stability in the build-up phase.

“But we don’t have time to think about those who are not with us. We will try to maximise the performance of those players who are here.”

Stimac, a 1998 World Cup semifinalist as a player with Croatia, added, “I was very happy to see Sahal (Abdul Samad) settle down at Mohun Bagan and Sandesh Jhingan is doing well at Goa. Now we all know how much Bengaluru FC have lost with the departure of Jhingan and how much Goa has benefitted.”

But international football was a different ball game altogether, admitted Stimac.

“The pace of ISL [Indian Super League] is far below the pace of international football. So when players arrive in national team camps we focus on sharpness, compactness and keeping stability and shape.”

Stimac also spoke about the importance of doing well from set pieces, for which India has hired the services of former West Ham and Manchester City player Trevor Sinclair.

“We have to work on how to defend our goal and then look to find gaps. I am not really thinking about ball possession against the big teams,” he said.

“Trevor Sinclair has been brought in to help the team in set pieces. First, we have to work on how to stop conceding goals from set pieces, and then look to score from them.

“Trevor is a guy who has got great experience. He has worked in development programmes and we needed a guy like him to help us prepare in such a short time.

More For You

Jofra Archer

Archer was part of the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not play. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Archer ‘ready to go’ for third India Test, says McCullum

ENGLAND coach Brendon McCullum said pacer Jofra Archer is "ready to go" as he considers bringing him back for the third Test against India, following a four-year absence due to injury.

Archer was part of the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not play. India won that match by 336 runs on Sunday, levelling the five-match series at 1-1.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sanjog Gupta

Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. (Photo: X/@HomeOfCricket)

X/@HomeOfCricket

Sanjog Gupta appointed ICC CEO, succeeds Geoff Allardice

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Sanjog Gupta as its new chief executive officer, replacing Geoff Allardice. The announcement was made on Monday.

Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. He becomes the ICC’s seventh CEO.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lando Norris

Norris moves to four wins in 2025

Getty Images

Lando Norris savours special Silverstone win despite injury

Key points

  • Lando Norris wins the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the first time
  • Celebrations briefly disrupted after he was hit in the nose by trophy
  • McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri penalised, costing him potential victory
  • Norris moves to four wins in 2025, just one behind Piastri
  • Drivers now head into a two-week summer break before Belgian GP

Lando Norris fulfils dream with British GP victory

Lando Norris described winning his home race at Silverstone as a “very, very special” moment, despite picking up a minor injury during the post-race celebrations. The McLaren driver delivered a brilliant performance in constantly changing weather conditions to secure his first British Grand Prix win and fourth of the season.

The race also highlighted the strength of the McLaren team, with both Norris and Oscar Piastri showing exceptional pace. However, a controversial penalty handed to Piastri during a safety car period ended hopes of a 1-2 finish for the team.

Keep ReadingShow less
India vs England

The win was India’s first Test victory in nine matches at Edgbaston, where they had previously suffered seven defeats and a draw.

Getty Images

India level series with big win over England as Akash Deep takes 10 wickets

INDIA defeated England by 336 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday, levelling the five-match series 1-1. Akash Deep, playing in place of rested pacer Jasprit Bumrah, took 10 wickets in the match — his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket.

England were bowled out for 271 while chasing a target of 608. Deep took 6-99 in the second innings, ending with match figures of 10-147 — the best of his eight-Test career so far.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shubman-Gill-Getty

Gill's 430 runs in the match made him only the fifth batter to score over 400 in a single Test. (Photo: Getty Images)

Gill sets Test record as England face massive chase at Edgbaston

INDIA captain Shubman Gill became the first batter in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match, before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep struck early to put India in control of the second Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Gill followed his first-innings 267 with 161 off 162 balls in the second innings. India declared at 427-6 after tea on the fourth day, setting England a target of 608 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Keep ReadingShow less