3+1 rule boost for Indian football, feels Stimac

The Indian national team coach Igor Stimac is positive about the future of Indian football, particularly after the Indian Super League’s announcement that the 3+1 foreigner rule (3 foreign players + 1 Asian foreigner) would be implemented from 2021-22 season.

The Indian national team has struggled for goals up front and has been dependent on the ageing but evergreen Sunil Chhetri for goals. While at the back, the depth in the central defence position remains shallow at best.

With the ISL teams largely dependent on foreigners to form the spine of the team, even having a foreign striker on the bench in most cases, the rule change will be a boost feels Stimac.

“Our Indian players can make progress only if managers play them more. Implementing 3+1 policy will at least make sure every club will have Indian strikers on the bench. As the coach of the national team, I feel the same with central defenders and offensive midfielders. It’s time we all start thinking about how to develop our talented young players’ football knowledge and strength,” Stimac told DH in an interview.

However, the Croatian tactician is happy with the playing time and the squad depth in other positions, especially in the flanks and defensive midfield.

“Our young homegrown players were magnificent last season when they were provided with the opportunity to play. (Anirudh) Thapa, Edwin (Sydney Vanspaul), Suresh (Wangjam), Mawia and Jeakson (Singh) on DM positions; (Lallianzuala) Chhangte, Brandon (Fernandes), Jerry and Nandha Kumar as wingers; Prabir Das, Seriton, Nishu (Kumar) and Shubham (Sarangi) as fullbacks to name a few. I can see more of them coming through in a few years with regulation changes,” he said.

New regulations aside, Stimac also stressed that the onus is on the youngsters to choose the best clubs for their career and not get swayed by the money. “When you are 18, 19 or 20, the most important thing should be playing competitive games regularly. Young players need to make crucial decisions when choosing clubs. Playing regular football must be their priority. It’s difficult to resist the lucrative professional contracts,” he said, citing the example of Owen Coyle whose arrival at Chennaiyin saw the Indian players shine en route to their final run.

With the domestic calendar at a standstill due to the pandemic and the World Cup qualifiers postponed, Stimac admitted that there will be some short-term fallouts but stressed that long term plans will not be affected.

“The pandemic situation has affected our domestic calendar severely. Probably, we will go into the remaining qualifying games without playing any competitive matches, but it’s same for every country. (But) A crisis like this shouldn’t affect our long term planning,” Stimac signed off.