Indian football team coach Igor Stimac.
Credit: PTI Photo
Indian football coach Igor Stimac gave details of players to an astrologer and picked the team on his recommendation during the Asian Cup prelims, The Indian Express reported. The publication further said the astrologer, Bhupesh Sharma from Delhi NCR, was introduced to the former Croatian national by a top All India Football Federation (AIFF) official.
On June 9, 2022, 48 hours before India's match against Afghanistan in the crucial Asian Cup qualifier, Stimac had sent a list of players to the astrologer -- India's probable 11 -- for the must-win game an out-of-form and injury-ridden India would need to play to remain in the continental competition.
The astrologer's reply reportedly came in hours with remarks against each name. As per IE, some of the comments were “Good”; “can do very well. Needs to avoid over confidence”; “a below average day”; “a very good day for him but might get over aggressive”; “not recommended for the day”.
An hour before India's kick-off on June 11, two established names whose stars didn't favour them as per the astrologer were dropped from the team.
This was not a one-off conversation either. There are close to a 100 messages, the publication reports, between Stimac an Sharma in May-June 2022. During this time, India played four games - a friendly against Jordan and then three Asian Cup qualifiers against Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan.
Before each game, messages show Stimac in touch with the astrologer, putting a huge question mark on the integrity of the team selection process and raising issues of vital team information being shared with an 'outsider' with the potential risk of being misused.
Stimac, before each match, sought the astrologer's inputs before finalising the team, sharing injury updates and substitution strategies.
As per IE, in one conversation, Stimac wrote "Hi dear Bhupesh, it was a pleasure meeting you and discussing future work! I would kindly ask you to provide opinion on the following players.” He went on to share the date, time and place of birth of four players, three of whom represented India at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup."
Stimac also shared details of 24 squad members before the friendly against Jordan, and shared fitness details of two players while expressing concerns about injuries when Sharma sent his recommendations.
In another conversation, the astrologer told the coach that it was not the "ideal day or phase" for an attacking midfielder, following which Stimac requested the astrologer compate the player's stars with those of his three attackers. Sharma's reply put the player third in order of preference. The footballer in question did not start the game against Jordan, only coming on as a substitute in the second half.
Stimac also discussed individual performances of his players with the astrologer after India's defeat to Jordan in the friendly.
The two decided to meet and discuss "two days prior" to each game for the duration of the qualifiers in Kolkata.
Before the match with Cambodia, Stimac again shared the list and his concerns about injuries sustained by three players. After the second game with Afghanistan, Sharma messaged Stimac asking, "Do let me know how close we were in this match player analysis as per charts when you get free." The coach replied, "Everything was spot on, I will explain to you when we meet."
They met the following afternoon, to discuss the playing 11 for the Hong Kong fixture, which India won and qualified for the Asian Cup.
Praful Patel, the then-president of the AIFF, told IE he "was not aware or told" of the interactions between Stimac and the astrologer.
Kushal Das, the then-secretary of AIFF, admitted to introducing Stimac to Sharma in May 2022.
"I met him at a meeting. He (Sharma) had worked for a lot of telecom companies and Bollywood personalities. What they presented was that astrological timings and the current phase of players can help motivate people into taking the right decisions" Das told the publication, adding "That time, I was worried if India would qualify for the Asian Cup and so was Igor, let me be very honest. It was not a comfortable situation. For me, the most important thing was that India should qualify. So I told him (Sharma) that I will put you in touch with the coach and if he likes it, he thinks your services can be utilised, he can get back to me. Igor was very convinced and they were in Kolkata throughout."
Speaking of the astrologer's contract, Das said "Since we used his professional services for two months, we paid him around Rs 12-15 lakh. That didn’t seem a huge amount since India qualified for the Asian Cup."
Stimac, when asked about consulting an astrologer and working on his advice, said, "Bhupesh was recommended to me and I was convinced (by others) that I have to check up on his possible effects in sports…No more than that. I requested another foreign assistant coach which was never even considered and was shocked to find out the size of Bhupesh’s contract…"
Patel's AIFF tenure ended last year, during which he saw India banned by FIFA due to governance issues. Das, the secretary general for over a decade, resigned at the same time after citing medical reasons.
The massive revelation comes at a time when things are looking up for the Indian football team as they climb into the top 100 teams worldwide. Stimac remains entangled in a tussle with Indian Super League (ISL) clubs over releasing players for the national team for vital international appointments, including the Asian Games slated to start next week.