Igor Stimac’s reign as the head coach of the Indian men’s football team came to an end on Monday evening, when the AIFF announced that his contract would be terminated after a disappointing set of results in 2024, particularly in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, from which India exited in the second round, behind Qatar and Kuwait in their group.

It’s been an eventful five years with Stimac at the helm, to say the least. There were periods of hope, but those were brief in between long spells of battles with the boardroom, poor results, and overall naivete.

May 15, 2019: Stimac replaces Stephen Constantine

Constantine had just overseen an Asian Cup campaign that began with a blistering 4-1 win over Thailand but ended in a whimper with losses to UAE and Bahrain. Stimac came in, supposedly armed with a deck of knowledge about all levels of Indian Football and a presentation that impressed the technical committee enough to usurp the then-favourite Albert Roca to take the job.

September 10, 2019: A momentous draw in Qatar

Stimac’s reign began with a loss to Curacao and a win against Thailand before the World Cup qualifiers, which began promisingly before a collapse at the death saw India lose 2-1 to Oman. However, the game after that was the one that really should’ve kickstarted Stimac’s reign as India’s coach.

Inspired by a superb Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and a stubborn defence in front of him, India held the Asian champions to a 0-0 draw in their backyard.

October and November 2019: Dour draws sour Qatar result

The springboard result in Doha didn’t materialize as India fell flat on their faces after that. They drew 1-1 against Bangladesh in Kolkata, with the post-match Viking clap after securing a late draw against lowly points raising a few eyebrows. They drew against Afghanistan away as well, as another qualification campaign meandered away to failure.

October 2021: A mixed SAFF Championship

His team found form at the right time, else Stimac’s job might have been in danger after the SAFF Championship in 2021. It began awfully, with draws against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Then Sunil Chhetri eked out a win against Nepal, scored a brace in the semifinal against Maldives and inspired a win in the final against Nepal. As he did on numerous occasions throughout the five years, Chhetri saved Stimac’s blushes.

June 2022: Asian Cup qualification secured

This was the first real sign of Stimac coaching a side with identity. Full-backs Naorem Roshan and Akash Mishra flew down the wings, Sahal Abdul Samad worked his magic, Jeakson Singh came of age, and then the ageless wonder Chhetri just kept finding the net at the Salt Lake, as India eased past a group consisting of Cambodia, Hong Kong and Afghanistan to secure qualification for the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

June 2023: The uplifting summer of hope

The opponents might have been of lesser calibre, only Lebanon and Kuwait could really go toe-to-toe with India, but that unbeaten run, that uplift amongst the fanbase, the country stood at one with its football. Oh, and India won three trophies – the Tri-Nation Series, the Intercontinental Cup, and the SAFF Championships. If you don’t know what was to follow, you might as well stop reading this here.

The rest of 2023: Turmoil

First, Stimac had to appeal to the Union Sports Ministry to approve his team’s entry to the Asian Games. Then he had to appeal to the ISL clubs to release the players that he wanted in that squad. He got the first, but he didn’t get the second. India made the Round-of-16 but were soundly beaten by both China and Saudi Arabia, as a scratch side really didn’t make a splash. And that wasn’t down to the coach either, with him having barely any time with a squad that barely knew each other.

Then came the Asian Cup fiasco. Stimac asked for a month-long camp, believing his achievements in the summer warranted him asking for what he wanted. The AIFF gave him two weeks. He washed his hands off the Asian Cup campaign, saying it wasn’t his responsibility as he didn’t get the time he needed.

January 2024: The Asian Cup of nightmares

Predictably, the Asian Cup was a disaster. India were drawn into a tough group with Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria. They lost all three games, they scored no goals and conceded six.

March to June 2024: The endgame

If the Asian Cup was a disaster, what followed was calamitous. India were still in a good position to make the third round of World Cup qualification, but in March, they picked up just one point from two games against Afghanistan.

Then they drew against Kuwait in June and lost to Qatar’s second-string team. It was an ignominious exit from World Cup qualification, and eventually, it cost Stimac his job.

Oh, and we didn’t miss this one. From the first day to the end, he was relentless in his demand for allowing overseas players of Indian origin to play for the national team. If ever that decision is made, Stimac won’t be the beneficiary of it.