Former India head coach Igor Stimac will reportedly receive $400,000 (approx. Rs. 3.36 crore) from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) as a settlement payment.

India's 2-1 defeat to Qatar earlier this month dashed their dreams of reaching the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup for the first time.

India coach Igor Stimac condemned what he called an "irregular" goal in a 2-1 defeat at Qatar that ended his team's World Cup 2026 qualifying hopes, saying: "It shouldn't happen."

India, beaten 2-0 by Australia in their opening match, sit bottom of the group with zero points and no goals.

India coach Igor Stimac warned his players "a storm is coming" as they prepare to face a physical Australia on Saturday in their Asian Cup opener.

Football has struggled to find its feet in the cricket-obsessed nation of 1.4 billion people, with former FIFA president Sepp Blatter once calling India "a sleeping giant" of the sport.