In an email interview with Parallel Sports, chief national coach Igor Stimac revealed that Indian football, compared to the leading football countries in Asia and South-East Asia like Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and China in the structural development. 

The 56-year-old coach, a former World Cupper from Croatia, commenting on the grass route and youth development programs in Indian football stated, “We are late some 20 odd years in structural development points compared to Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and China. Some processes started a few years back. Then everything was stopped because of the pandemic and now the process has begun but it will take time to develop football culture and generations of new players. So we need to be patient and work hard on processes.”

Croatia which is one of the oldest European nations was an independent sovereign country but the country's social harmony and peace were hugely affected when brutal aggression from Serbia happened. Stimac revealed he was only 24 years old and already captained Hajduk Split for a few years. 

He remembered saying, “Previously football was a game for the young boys like us to express ourselves on the pitch, exhibiting our potential. But once the war changed the scenario football turned out a platform where we also felt like warriors. We had always in mind that our victories would inspire the country's front-liners and keep their morale high. Our responsibilities increased and we delivered our best to win the matches whenever we played to influence and inspire our troops.” 

Stimac in his last four years' coaching journey in Indian football still cherishes two matches considering the national team's performance. One was against Asian Champions Qatar at the opening stages of the World Cup Qualifiers in Doha. The second one was against Arab Gulf champion Iraq in the last edition of the King's Cup in Thailand. 

Qatar managed to earn 1-0 against the spirited 10-man India in the World Cup Qualifier while in the King's Cup Indian team, offering a neck-to-neck battle against Iraq lost in the penalty shoot-out after the 90-minute regulation time ended 2-2.

Stimac who was the chief coach of Croatian premier team Hajduk Split’s academy in 2001 also visited a few academies as well as club's academies on request for his valuable advice on the development of grass route and youth development program. 

Stimac divulged he was highly impressed after visiting Minerva Football Academy. He explained, "I was truly impressed to have watched the passion and enthusiasm followed by hard work there. Enthusiasts like Ranjit Bajaj are needed for the development truly. He deserves a lot of thanks for our recent results in the international circuit as this academy has already produced several footballers who have represented our National team. With some financial support from sponsors, Minerva Academy could become one of the leading football academies in Asia soon."

Stimac believes there are enough potential players in the country. But he suggests that the football clubs as well as the academies should be more organized and methodical to explore and nurture the potential footballers to build up a bigger pool of young players for the future. He pointed out saying, “We also need many development foreign coaches in the clubs to supervise the work. Scholarship programs are also needed because still in India parents are afraid and not allowing their kids to join football academies or they don't have the financial capacity to support them. We made huge efforts with our senior national team providing chances to at that time 19 and 20-year-old boys to gain international experience and that's the main reason why our hopes are greater today.” 

The chief national coach had to go through severe hurdles before the Hangzhou Asian Games when the country’s ISL-playing clubs refused to release their respective leading footballers and the national team had to participate in the Asian Games with most of the inexperienced footballers.

When asked about the issue Igor under whose guidance Croatia once reached the 4th spot in the Fifa men’s ranking, 

explained “To make our dreams come true we have to look back upon what Asian top football countries were doing to reach the level where most of their national team players started playing in top European clubs. Once we get there we won't need longer camps or more time than others to prepare our boys for challenges.” 

Citing a small example Igor concluded by saying, "Let us just look one step ahead to the Merdeka Cup. The Malaysian league stopped on 1st October so their national team can have more than two weeks’ preparatory camp before our game. I think the example says it all.”