The gap left by Sunil Chhetri got exposed as India managed only four goals in 11 matches
India, as a sporting nation, enjoyed success in various sports throughout 2024. However, football is a sport where India really hit a new low. Even though we have draughted this article, to be honest, India’s 2024 football season is simply not worth recalling. After all, in 11 international matches, the team lost six, managed five draws, and did not win a single match.
However, we believe it is important to recall the problems India encountered, hoping to learn from the mistakes and have a better season in 2025 with some success.
India’s AFC Asian Cup campaign had a strong start, but the team could not win a single game in the group stage against mighty opponents like Australia, Syria, and Uzbekistan. The team could not score a single goal against these teams but conceded six goals. The journey was extremely short, and India left the tourney quickly.
While India’s AFC Asian Cup campaign was disastrous, India did try its best to turn things around in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The team started with a shocking defeat at the hands of Afghanistan. However, they managed a much-needed draw against Kuwait, which brought back hope in the dugout. Unfortunately, an error by the referee in the game versus Qatar saw India’s journey cut short as the team lost 2-1. The wrongly awarded goal in Qatar’s favour witnessed a massive controversy that garnered global attention.
Given the string of poor performances, the termination of head coach Igor Stimac by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was not a shock to the Indian football fraternity. However, the way his exit was handled again became a global topic as Indian football was seen as being on the wrong side of things. Stimac attacked the AIFF, saying that his contract was cut short and he deserved compensation, but the AIFF did not agree, and several rounds of discussions took place among Stimac, AIFF, and FIFA. Eventually, AIFF had to compensate INR 3.36 crore. It was completely unnecessary on AIFF’s part, but they got themselves tangled into a controversy.
Igor Stimach#IndianFootball #afcasiancup2023 pic.twitter.com/8V8saPpCnc
— Football IND (@Football_IND15) November 22, 2023
After Igor’s exit, Manolo Marquez was handed over India’s reign, which did not take off well as India lost against Maldives and Syria in the Intercontinental Cup. In the last two games that India played against Vietnam and Malaysia, India drew the games but scored only twice in two matches. Four different strikers were used, but none could do enough to fill in Sunil Chhetri’s boots, who retired from international football this year.
Controversies remained limited to international football only. Anwar Ali unjustly left Mohun Bagan to sign a contract with East Bengal, earning him a four-month ban. AIFF asked Delhi FC and East Bengal for a fine of INR 12 crore, but multiple rounds of discussions at the Delhi High Court overturned the ban.
In 2025, the first thing that India should focus on is a win, given the country has not won a single game in over a year.
