The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and national team coach Igor Stimac look set for a long battle off the field after the apex body terminated the Croat’s contract on Monday.

The AIFF decision resulted from India’s failure to qualify for Round III of the 2026 World Cup Qualifers. It was taken at a meeting chaired by AIFF vice-president NA Haris. “Noting the disappointing outcome of the Senior Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, the members unanimously agreed that a new Head Coach would be best placed to take the team forward,” an AIFF statement said.

The AIFF offered a three-month compensation to the 56-year-old Stimac but sources said he would not be ready to bow out without a fight.

“The compensation is much less than what the severance package should be,” a source said. The severance package on paper is $360,000 which comes to Rs 3 crore approximately. The three-month compensation is just $120,000.

It has been learnt Stimac was ready to do away with his three-month salary provided the AIFF brass also resigned taking responsibility for the team’s consistent failure for the past six months.

“It’s ridiculous to say something like this. We are not the coach and we did not say in March that if India failed to advance to Round III we would resign. If Stimac wants to fight it on court, then we have no other option,” a senior official said.

“In the national interest, he had to leave,” another official added.

In March this year, on the eve of India’s Qualifer against Afghanistan in Guwahati, Stimac had said he would resign should his team fail to advance. The next day, the now-retired Sunil Chhetri and his men lost to the Afghans 2-1 which sealed India’s fate.

Appointed as head coach in the summer of 2019, Stimac’s contract was renewed for the third time in October 2023 till June 2026.

Had India qualified for the third round that would have been automatically extended for another two years.