Indian Football In 2024: A Disastrous Year Of Heartbreaks And Controversies
NDTV
As far as results are concerned, 2024 was arguably the worst year ever for the Indian men's football team.
Eleven matches. Six defeats and five draws. Four goals scored and 15 conceded. As far as results are concerned, 2024 was arguably the worst year ever for the Indian men's football team. It was a year that started with hopes of a strong campaign at the AFC Asian Cup. However, with some disastrous results and the controversial departure of head coach Igor Stimac, it was anything but an easy journey. Manolo Marquez taking over the reins midway but he had a tough task with the team missing their talisman Sunil Chhetri who bid farewell to the game after an illustrious career. The final half of the year saw some new faces make their presence felt for the side but sadly, the team still ended the year without a single victory.
The AFC Asian Cup campaign saw India facing tough opponents in Australia, Syria and Uzbekistan. India were unable to score even a single goal in the entire competition with just five shots on target in the three group stage matches. They were out of the group stages after conceding six goals.
It was the beginning of India's misery as they slumped to a shocking 1-2 loss against Afghanistan at home in a FIFA World Cup qualifier match. Chhetri did find the back of the net but they were made to suffer for their missed chances as both experts and fans were left stunned by the result.
A draw against Kuwait gave some hope for qualification to the third round of World Cup qualifiers but the dreams were shattered following a controversial 1-2 loss against Qatar. The game saw India produce some good football but a horrible error by the referee spelt the end of their chances of advancing.
Following the loss against Qatar, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to terminate Igor Stimac's contract as the head coach. However, controversy ensued once again as Stimac was left fuming by the decision and he launched a scathing attack on AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey. There were allegations made on both side and it ended with a $400,000 (approximately Rs 3.36 crore) compensation for Stimac as his contract was ended early by the AIFF due to the disappointing results.
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