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Xtra Time Web Desk: Former India men's football team coach Igor Stimac, recently dismissed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) following India's exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, has announced a press conference for Friday, 21 June. The 56-year-old Croatian confirmed his intentions on Thursday, inviting Indian journalists to join a "friendly chat session" at 14:00 IST.

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In his message on X (formerly Twitter), Stimac expressed his concerns about the state of Indian football. "Hello my dear friends from Indian Media, I’m sure you, alike me, are stressed, disturbed and worried having seen the state of the national football over the last few months. You have every right to know the flow of events that put us here,” he wrote. “I am a true INDIAN and I tried to help in whatever way I could. Let’s join in a friendly chat session at 14:00 IST on 21-06-24 and open the cards for the last time! Jai Hind!”

Hello my dear friends from Indian Media,

I'm sure you, alike me, are stressed, disturbed and worried having seen the state of the national football over the last few months.

You have every right to know the flow of events that put us here.

— Igor Štimac (@stimac_igor) June 20, 2024

Stimac was dismissed on Monday, with the AIFF citing the "disappointing outcome of the Senior Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign" as the reason. However, Stimac labeled the decision as "unethical" and accused AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey of repeatedly breaching his contract.

“Publishing something like this before reaching the conversation with me is blatantly unprofessional and unethical,” Stimac wrote to AIFF in an email.

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The former Croatia defender has threatened legal action against AIFF if his dues are not settled promptly. Stimac, who had a contract until 2026 with a salary of approximately Rs 25 lakh per month, pointed out the absence of a severance clause, which could compel AIFF to pay the remaining contract value, amounting to Rs six crore.